For the Hundredth Billionth Time
by Unproper Grammar
Summary: If there was an award for worst friend ever, Chad Danforth would win it hands down. He was constantly being inconsiderate; like the time he took residence in Troy Bolton's home just while the guy was dealing with a very hormonal, very pregnant Gabriella.
1. Prologue

This all stemmed from my very best friend commenting that Chad was basically the worst friend ever. While I don't think that to be entirely true, he does have his moments.

I'd also like to thank said best friend for helping to inspire some of Chad's more unfortunate moments. If you weren't such a hooligan, this wouldn't be possible. :)

While this seems like a humorous story (and it is), it will also have it's moments (some of which you may see from a mile away).

I don't anything you recognize. On that note, I make a reference to The Craig and Allen Show from Youtube, which I highly recommend.

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**For the Hundredth Billionth Time**

_Prologue_

**---**

If there was an award for the worst friend ever, Chad Danforth would win it hands down.

He continuously did things to show how unsupportive and considerate he was when it came to his best friend since childhood, Troy Bolton.

Like when they were eight years old, and Chad thought it would be funny to hide in Troy's closet while the Bolton clan searched for him, earning Troy the scolding of a lifetime for not watching out for his friend.

There was also the time when they were thirteen, and as a practical joke for April Fool's, Chad thought it would be hilarious to cut Troy's hair. While he was defenseless and sleeping.

You can't forget their junior year of high school, when Troy suddenly wanted to audition for the musical and Chad's dreams of a basketball championship were erased, so he was like, fuck that, Troy. Oh, and then he proceeded to provoke Troy to say some things he didn't mean, almost costing him the love of his life.

And once senior year rolled around and Troy finally had the girl and was faced with being separated from her, Chad was just like, screw it, man, leave her; never taking real feelings and commitment into consideration.

Or what about that time in their sophomore year of college when Chad randomly decided he wanted to be a Youtube celebrity? And he was convinced that the only way to achieve such viral status was to throw Troy off a roof? He then decided that the reason the video never received millions of hits was because Troy didn't get injured enough.

Yes, Chad Danforth was at times, the worst possible friend ever, but he was about to suck even more because this time, he desperately needed support from Troy for something he wasn't even sure was ethical.

And now probably wasn't the best of times...


	2. Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visitor

I did not expect to update so soon, but I'm wired from a great opening night of my own high school musical and damn, I just love how this turned out.

Thanks to the bestie, as per usual. Don't own anything that you recognize. :)

--

**For the Hundredth Billionth Time**

_Chapter One: An Unexpected Visitor_

--

"No."

It was a simple word constructed using one syllable and two letters. The word consisted of a vowel and a consonant, as most words do. It was a word of rebellion, a word of power and a word of denial all wrapped into one. Coupled with the determined and angry voice of it's speaker, it was clear that the word meant business.

"No, no fucking way, Chad. No."

The above sentence fragment consists of expletives and a noun which further proved that business was definitely intended.

The scene is set: two males, both age twenty-six are our protagonists. Male number one, Caucasian with sandy brown hair and blue eyes stands in the doorway of his apartment, his palms set firmly on either side of the door frame, denying entrance to Male number two; African American and standing outside in the hallway with suitcases and boxes at his feet.

"Please, man?" Male number two begs. "Please? It'll only be for a little while!"

"No!" Male number one barks. "You can't stay here now! You can't even be here now, Chad!"

"Troy!" Male number two (also known as Chad) yells, "I have to! I've been evicted! I have no where else to fucking go!"

"Damnit, Chad!" Troy Bolton yells. "No! Are you insane? Do you have any idea what you being here is going to cause? You have to leave! Go stay at your sister's or something!"

Chad Danforth glared at his supposed best friend. Of all the ungrateful...and what a low blow! Stay with his sister! Scooping up his belongs, he barrelled past Troy's raised arms and flew into the apartment, dropping his belongings on the floor by the couch.

"You can't stay here!" Troy yelled. "Get out!"

"And why not?" Chad glared in aggravation. "Give me one good reason!

Scoffing in disbelief, Troy gestured wildly to the room down the hall. "Why? Um, because my wife is pregnant? Eight months pregnant, to be exact, Danforth! Do you remember anything from sex education in tenth grade? That means she has roughly four weeks left! That means she can't see her feet! That means that I have to take the brunt of all of her emotional outbursts!"

Chad raised his hands in an attempt to get his friend to stop, but the rant carried on.

"Do you know what your being here is going to set off? She's going to freak! She's going to say this is in no way the proper environment for a women in such a delicate situation! She's going to blame me! She can't deal with you being here! I can't deal with you being here! Most of all, I can't deal with her dealing with you being here!"

Tapping his foot, Chad waited approximately three seconds before flopping on the couch, grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels. "Chill, man. Gabriella will be more than fine with me crashing here, I guarantee it! Do you mind if I take up residence on this cozy leather couch of yours?"

Troy stared at him, his face growing red. He took a deep breath as if calming himself, only to yell a moment later.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY APARTMENT, DANFORTH!" He opened the front door and threw one of Chad's suitcases into the hallway.

"What the hell, man?" Chad exclaimed, darting up and running to the door. "That's my stuff!"

Troy added a box to the growing pile outside the door and the sound of glass shattering bounced off the walls. "Exactly! It's out there – where you should be, too!"

"I'm supposed to be your best friend, Troy!" Chad cried in anguish, watching as Troy threw the last of the bags out the door. "Your best fucking friend! Is that how you treat your best fucking friend, Bolton?"

"Yes, Troy," a sickeningly sweet voice said. "Is that how you treat your best friend?"

The males blanched. Enter Gabriella Bolton, age twenty five. She stood at a comfortable five foot four and had long, black curls and olive skin. Her small frame was weighed down by the massive bump rising out of her stomach and her hand rested on the swell of it comfortably. She raised an eyebrow.

"Gabriella!" Her husband said, darting to her side. "Is everything alright?"

She swatted at his hand, annoyed. "Yes, I'm fine, Troy. I'm not some glass doll you know!" She walked over to Chad, who was now dragging his belongings back into the apartment. "Now, what is going on here?"

Running a hand through his disheveled hair, Troy let out a heavy sigh. "Chad got evicted. He needs a place to crash, but don't worry about it, babe, I already said no."

Gabriella bristled. "And that's how you treat your best friend, Bolton?"

Troy blanched. "Uh...excuse me?"

"I wonder," Gabriella placed a finger to her lip, thoughtfully, "If our child was in need of a place to stay, would you want someone turing them away?" Before he had a chance to reply, she continued. "No, I think not. So how dare you treat your friend that way!"

"What, Gabi!" Troy threw his hands up. "I just assumed that it would be too much for you right now!"'

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. "Too much? Too much?! You assume I'm in such a fragile state, don't you? That I'm such an emotional, cold hearted bitch that I can't possibly handle having someone else stay here! That's it, isn't it?"

"What, no, that's not it at all, I was only --"

"I don't want to hear it, Troy!" she sobbed, turning on her heel. "Chad you stay here for as long as you like! I won't abandon you in your time of need!" With one final sniff, she left the room and Troy stared after her, confused and crushed at being blamed for something that was not his fault at all.

For what seemed like the thousandth time.

"Do you see what you've done?" He asked Chad, slamming the front door closed and running after Gabriella.

Dragging his suitcases back into the apartment, Chad grinned. "I told you she wouldn't have a problem with me staying here!"

* * *

"I hate you so fucking much, Chad," Troy said half an hour later, shutting the bedroom door behind him softly. "Do you realize what it took for me to calm her down? She should be getting so stressed right now anyways; it could induce labour!"

Chad shrugged non-chantly and covered the couch with an Afghan blanket Gabriella knitted years ago. "You probably shouldn't have made her so mad, then," he said simply, a cheeky chin on his face. "Listen man, I know this is inconvenient and I promise you, I would not be here unless I had absolutely anywhere else to go."

"What about Taylor?" Troy said, folding his arms. He scoffed at Chad's 'hurt' expression. "Look, you have to understand that you being here really puts an extra strain on myself and Gabriella that we really can't handle now. Taylor won't deny you; she loves you."

Chad sighed. "Taylor and I..." he paused, thinking of the best way to word it, "She and I have a deal. I can't go to her place until I keep up my end of the bargain."

"What, so no sex until you do her bidding?"

Chad stiffened. "Something like that."

Rolling his shoulders back, Troy slumped on the couch. "What about Zeke and Sharpay's?"

"Ha, like I want to be a third wheel to that car crash of a relationship," Chad shuddered, vaguely recalling the last time he visited the couple for dinner which resulted in a broken china set and scalding hot gravy on his arm.

"Point taken," Troy nodded in agreement. "What about Ryan's?"

"No," Chad said at once, turning away from his friend. "Absolutely not. It's out of the question. I am not staying with Ryan fucking Evans."

"Uh, okay...um, your sister, then?"

Chad groaned in frustration. "When I said I had no where to go, I meant it."

Troy ran a hand over his face and Chad felt a flicker of guilt run through him. His friend looked exhausted, his face and eyes hollow. He let out a sigh while he twisted his wedding band around his finger, a nervous habit he had developed since obtaining the object two years earlier. Chad wanted to pack up his things and leave, letting his friend get the peace that he deserved; to spend those last precious weeks with his wife alone. But he couldn't, he had put it off too long and he needed to stay here. For his own selfish reasons or not.

It was time, after all.

"Fine," Troy said, defeated. "You can stay here. One week, though, Chad, one week. I can't handle anymore than that and I love my wife too much to see her behind bars because she killed you in a moment of weakness."

Chad smiled, relieved. "I'm really sorry, man. One week, that's all. I promise."

One week was more than enough time.

* * *

The phone rings.

First instinct? Screen it.

And so he does. It's okay, though, because it's only Taylor Mckessie; his most favourite girl in the whole wide world.

He answers. "What up, babe?"

"Hey," she says, her voice excited and breathless. "How are you?"

He rolls over on the couch. Life at the Bolton's was pretty much exactly what he didn't expect. Troy and Gabriella were completely consumed with the ever daunting arrival of their firstborn and he maybe should have taken Troy more seriously when he had warned him of Gabriella's emotional outbursts. She was sweet and serene one moment and then hysterical and angry the next. How the two were still married, Chad had no idea.

"I'm better now, Tay," he said, smiling in the phone. "You sure there's no way I can come stay with you?"

She chuckled. "I wish, Danforth, but you know very well that my place is off limits until you hold up your end of the deal. It's a matter of principle. Now, let's cut to the chase: have you told them yet?"

Chad sighed and brought a hand to his brow. "Not yet, babe."

Taylor repeated his actions on the other line. "It's been months, Chad, months. They're both going to be crushed that you didn't tell them first in the first place. You have to tell them and soon."'

Staring into the darkness of the Bolton's apartment, Chad took in the surroundings. The beige walls and dark chocolate floors. The picture frames of vacations, their wedding, family and work functions sprawled over the walls, the tables. Car keys set on the kitchen counter, paint cans from the baby's nursery lined up in the halls. Notes scribbled to each other on white boards reminding them to pick up milk or honey. All pieces that made up their life together.

He wanted simplicity like theirs. He wanted a life with the one he loved, too.

"I will, Taylor. I will. Just give it time."

But how could he when the present time was the worst possible time (ever) to drop a bomb such as this?


	3. Chapter 2: Evicted

I don't know why I'm updating so frequently (this really isn't like me), but this story just begs to be written every spare moment I have. It's mind-boggling.

I actually had one more scene planned for this chapter, but it turned out being way longer than I intended it to be...so it will be cut until next chapter. :)

Still don't own anything you recognize. And I can't take full credit for the character of Chad's landlady: any of you familiar with CLAMP's most popular and recent works will definitely recognize her.

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**For the Hundredth Billionth Time**

_Chapter 2: Evicted_

--

_**Two Days Earlier...**_

Chad Danforth was fucked. Royally and entirely. He was fucked beyond recognition, fucked beyond repair, even! There he stood at the front door of his apartment, staring at the boxes piled up around it. His eyes fell on the gigantic chain and padlock around the doorknob and he gaped. What the hell was this bullshit?

Finally, like the crappy ending of a horror movie, a bright orange piece of paper tacked to the door glared at him. It screamed at him of his disaster. He narrowed his eyes and snatched the article of the door to inspect it further.

Bold black letters spelled out his fate: **EVICTED**.

Evicted. As in the removal of a tenant from rental property by landlord.

Evicted. E-fucking-victed.

Um, how? Okay, so yes, he had missed a few rent payments this year, but big deal! His landlady must have known he was good for it! He was Chad Danforth, super-star NBA player. He had money like people had old newspapers! She should have just asked him for the money instead of slapping an eviction notice on his door!

Fuming, Chad stormed down the hall to the elevator, determined to give the aforementioned landlady a piece of his mind, followed by whatever it took to get him back into his apartment and back into his bed. He stared as the numbers fell from eight to one, breathing deeply like that yoga teacher his coach had hired to calm them down before big games had taught him.

At age twenty-six, he was, for the most part, content with life. He had gone on to play pro-basketball, as was expected. He had wonderful friends, a decent romantic life and a damn good apartment.

Until that bitch had him evicted!

Arriving at the door of his landlady's apartment, he banged on it in rhythm, angry.

"Ichihara!" He bellowed. "Open up!"

There was a brief pause as Chad heard the sound of the loud television playing Japanese soap operas turn down, but there was no answer. He growled and pounded on the door once more and was appeased when he heard the shuffling of feet before the door swung open to reveal a tall woman with long, black straight hair. She was wearing a blood red kimono and was smoking a long cigarette set in an elegant holder. She leaned against the door frame upon seeing him and smiled lazily.

"Ah, Mr. Danforth," she cooed, narrowing her eyes. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Ichihara!" He slammed his fist into the adjacent wall. "Why the fuck am I being evicted?"

Ms. Ichihara chuckled and flicked the ash off the end of her cigarette. "Why, Mr. Danforth, you've missed almost half a year's worth of rent payments. Did you not get my letters?"

Chad gritted his teeth. "I got them. Why didn't you just ask for the money personally?"

"That was the the point of the letters. Mr Danforth, I've let it slide for a while," her face took on a serious expression then, and she stood up to her full height and glared up at him. "But I've realized that I can't just let your rent slide in hopes that you'll abide by house rules and allow a picture or two of me into the pages of _'In Touch'_. What kind of landlady would I be? So I thought about it and figured, why not just evict you? It would certainly solve all of my problems in one fell swoop."

"Problems?!" Chad hissed. "What problems?"

Ms. Ichihara scoffed. "Are you kidding, Mr. Danforth? You stagger in the apartment drunk out of your mind at four A.M., lose your key and ring me to let you in a la Holly Golightly! You have ridiculous parties, including that one social event involving the kiddie pool. Let's not forget that you have not held up your deal – the paparazzi are constantly filling up the tenants parking spots! I can't handle any more complaints about a tenant who isn't even paying rent!"

"I'm under contract!"

"Not anymore," she smirked and he swore he saw evil dancing in her eyes. "I disposed of that document accordingly. You have seventy-two hours to vacate the premises."

What. The. Hell. This _had_ to be illegal. "I'll sue you, bitch!"

She threw her head back and let out a deep laugh. "I'd like to see you try! Besides, the press will have a field day if they find out that _the_ Chad Danforth has been evicted because he can't behave himself _or_ pay rent!"

"I have the money!" he hollered.

"Too late, Danforth!" She slammed the door shut. "Hope the grass is greener at some other complex!"

He stared and gave the door a vicious kick. "Screw you, Ichihara! Screw you!"

Well, fuck. What was he going to do now? He went back upstairs to his apartment and sat on top of a box while contemplating his options. He could either take this to the press and blackmail her, but that probably wasn't such a good idea in the long run. Or he could just gather up his belongings that remained in the apartment, shove them in storage and crash at a friend's place until he found a new habitat.

Okay, the latter seemed better. Now which friend to impose on? His teammates were all kinds of party animals, and while that seemed somewhat appealing, the physical toll it would take on him cancelled that option out.

So what did he do when he couldn't find socks that matched? What did he do when the shower head broke? Who did he call when he lost the remote and couldn't find it for four hours and once he finally he had, he realized he had torn the apartment apart and couldn't find his car keys?

He called Taylor Mckessie.

He and Taylor had been involved romantically on and off for years, but it had been off for about four months...though they had been slowly letting go. She still had a few shirts and some make up left in his apartment and he still had half his wardrobe in her closet and a spare key to her apartment on his key-ring. It had been so difficult, letting go of something that he had felt so comfortable with, something he was so attached to. So much so, that he still hadn't told a few select people about it yet.

But really, in what way could it work anymore?

Regardless of the fact that they were no longer sleeping together, she was still his number one and go to gal and she loved the position. He was a lost a puppy and Taylor Mckessie loved to guide those who knew nothing just so she could show just how much _she_ knew.

"Taylor!" He jumped when she finally answered her cell. "I need a place to stay, Taylor! Please let me stay at your place for a while!"

"Slow down, Chad!" she snapped and the rustle of papers followed by the sound of a door closing could be heard in the back-round. "What's wrong?"

"That bitch evicted me!" He barked into the phone, pacing up and down the hallway. A neighbor poked her out her door and stared at him before slowing inching back inside. He ran a hand through his hair, aggravated. "She fucking evicted me, Tay!"

A heavy sigh was heard on the other end. "Well, Chad, you haven't paid rent in months."

"Chad," Taylor rationalized, "You haven't paid rent since before we broke up."

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up at the mention of the break up and the circumstances surrounding it. "I know that, Tay, I know that."

"Have you even told anyone about it yet?" she asked, her voice dropping several octaves.

"No," he groaned, leaning his head back to rest against the wall. He felt heavy and exhausted and he just hated everything right now.

"Not even Troy and Gabriella? Do they even know we broke up?"

"Damnit, no, Taylor," he snapped. "They don't know. Very few people know."

"Chad," she said, and he could only imagine her sitting down with her head in her hands. "You have to tell them sooner or later; they're your best friends."

"I know that, Taylor! What should I do? Go stay with them and blurt it out then?"

The deafening pause that followed while both contemplated this scared Taylor. "No, Chad, you can't stay with them! Gabriella's pregnant – she's almost due! This is a seriously bad time to even consider telling them anything, never-mind staying with them!"

"Well, can I stay with you, then?" He perked up, hopeful at the new idea.

"No." All of his hopes and dreams crashed around him at that. "You may not. You're not allowed to see me until you tell them, remember? Staying at my place is certainly off limits. And so is staying at Troy and Gabi's."

"But Taylor," he said, being to stack up his boxes. "It could work; I could only stay there for a while – I mean, it's not going to take me long to get a new place and it would give me the perfect opportunity to talk to them further."

"Chad, no!"

"Thank you so much, Tay!" he said, smiling with hope for the situation again. "I owe you a million dollars!"

"Oh, you say that now," her voice dripping with venom, "but you can't even pay rent on time, Danforth."

---

Sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the olive green curtains hanging covering the window and balcony. Chad opened his eyes, taking in his odd surroundings. The smell of fresh coffee and bacon filtered through the air and the sounds a morning talk show met his ears.

This was reason for panic.

Where the hell was he? He sat up quickly, almost falling off the couch before registering what was going on. That was right. He had been evicted but that bitch Ichihara and was now sleeping on the Bolton's couch.

Lovely.

Swinging his legs over the side, he did was he did best and followed the delicious scent to the source. He found it came from the kitchen (what an interesting concept!) and saw Gabriella standing over the stove, slowly flipping pieces of bacon.

"Good morning," Chad said hesitantly in greeting, worried that she may scald him with the hot grease. Instead, he was met with a pleasant smile and a cheery hello.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," Gabriella began, using the tongs to take pieces of bacon off the pan and onto a piece of paper towel. "I forgot you were there, to be honest. I like to get a head start on breakfast – Troy's never a morning person and if I'm not careful, he'll just mix up some eggs and drink them before going out for a run."

Chad laughed at his friend's eating habits. "He used to do that in college all of the time. I mean, I know it's a good source of protein, but god, watching him down those eggs was disgusting."

Gabriella laughed along with him. "That's Troy for you." She slid the bacon onto the plate along with two eggs, forming a smiley face before setting it down in front of him. "Sunny-side up okay for your eggs? I can make more if you'd like."

"No!" He brought the plate closer to him, protectively. "It's fine! Seriously, I haven't had real food in ages!"

Gabriella giggled and pulled two mugs out of the cupboard. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Uh, sure?" Chad stared at the coffee pot, concerned. "Aren't you not supposed to drink that?"

"I don't," Gabriella said, filling both the mugs to the brim. "But Troy lives on the stuff and I'm not going to deny him."

Chad's features softened slightly. He couldn't seem to understand why he had felt so threatened by Gabriella all those years ago. The girl was liquid kindness in the form of an angelic girl who made his best friend happier than he had ever been. He smiled brightly at her, taking in the glow that seemed to radiate from her.

"I really am sorry about imposing on you so much, Gab," he said sincerely.

She shrugged in response, setting the coffee pot back down. "It's okay, Chad. These things happen." She grinned. "If it's any consolation, I'm sorry for being such a hormonal nightmare. That's for last night and any future outbursts you will witness."

Laughing, Chad took a bite of his eggs. "Yeah, shouldn't you be throwing up somewhere?"

"No," she shook her head, laughing along with him, before her face took on another look and her mouth formed an 'o'. "Chad, come here!" Her hand flew to her stomach. "The baby's kicking! Feel!"

She placed his hand on her swollen stomach. He paused, waiting for something brilliant, but nothing happened. "Gab, I don't feel anything. Are you sure --"

And there it was. The tiniest little taps rippled across her stomach like the flutter of butterfly wings. Chad felt something fill through him that he had not imagined was even possible. He stared up at Gabriella, gaping.

She smiled softly. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

He nodded, his throat dry, as Gabriella coed to the baby. "This is your Uncle Chad, sweetie. He's a bit of a lunkhead, but you'll love him anyways."

"Honey, don't lie to the baby," a voice interrupted the moment and Chad turned his head to see Troy enter the room. "What smells so good?"

Gabriella left Chad and walked over to her husband. "Breakfast," she said as Troy kissed her cheek and then bent down to kiss her stomach. "The baby's kicking again."

Troy rubbed a hand on her stomach. "Getting anxious, I bet. That, or he or she was fed up with hearing about Chad."

"Shut up, man," Chad laughed, shovelling eggs into his mouth. "Shut up."

As he took in the scene before him, Chad felt a stirring inside of him that things couldn't be left unsaid much longer. Not if he wanted to be happy, not if he wanted to hold onto the friendship he had with the two of them.

Time was ticking away faster than he had expected.


	4. Chapter 3: The Anatomy of a Future

I'd like to ask that all you dear readers use an open mind over the next few chapters. :)

--

**For the Hundredth Billionth Time**

_Chapter 3: The Anatomy of a Future_

--

"More ice, Mr. Danforth?" Ms. Ichihara said, clad in a skimpy waitress outfit. She stood above her tenant holding a tray with a large glass of iced tea.

Chad looked up from his spot on his couch. He smirked lazily at his landlady. "Why, Ichihara, I'd love some. Fetch me my Jimmy Choo flip flops while you're at it!"

Ms. Ichihara cocked an eyebrow. "But Mr. Danforth, I don't believe they're your size!"

"Ah, ah!" Chad snapped, glaring at her. "Ms. Ichihara, you and I have a deal. You let me back into this apartment and become my slave and I'll gladly purchase you a small island. Now fetch away!"

"But the Prada boutique is too far from here!" she whined, now wearing a pink tweed suit and glasses.

Chad shrugged it off. "Ichihara!" he snapped again, only to hear a loud crash.

Which promptly yanked him out of his dream and back into the real world. His eyes flew open and he stared up at the Bolton's ceiling in confusion.

It was late. One AM or later, he wasn't really sure. It was that time of night where if you were to wake, the sky would be so dark that it would be intimidating. You would toss and turn with worries for the morning, only to relax because you had hours of blissful sleep left.

But that was most certainly not the case here. Chad was now wide awake and wondering what the hell that crash was. What if it was a robber? What if someone had come in here in the night to murder Troy and Gabi and now they were on to him? Oh god, what if they hadn't been murdered yet? Could he stop them? He would have to, wouldn't he?

Or worse, what if it was a paparazzi, ready to pounce and exploit Chad's awful living conditions and the Boltons and oh, good God!

Springing up from the couch, Chad bolted to the kitchen and grabbed a wooden mallet before inching down the hallway carefully. He saw a stream of light coming from underneath the door of the unoccupied bedroom.

The nursery.

Of all the places to murder someone! A baby's nursery! And god, the murderer was a paparazzi, too! Never fear, though! Chad Danforth would save the day! What a story it would make!

In his half-awake state, Chad flung open the door to the nursery and flailed the mallet around. "This is the last time you screw with me, you scum!" He yelled only to feel a hand clamp down over his mouth.

Oh shit, he was so dead.

"Shut up, Chad!" the body behind him hissed. "You'll wake Gabriella!"

Feeling the hand leave his mouth, Chad turned slowly and saw Troy standing there, dark circles under his eyes, wearing nothing but a white v-neck t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He was carefully re-stacking small books and stuffed animals on a shelf on the wall. Chad stared at him confused.

"Uh, what are you doing?" he asked, wondering what the heck his friend was doing up at one or two (or whatever the hell time it was) in the morning decorating the nursery.

"I couldn't sleep," Troy said simply, placing a yellow teddy bear on the shelf. "So I just came here to think and I ended up turning too quickly and knocked half the stuff off this shelf. Thank god I didn't wake Gabi, but your hollering might have."

Chad took a seat on the rocking chair in the corner, surveying the small room. The walls were painted a soft green and in the far corner was a tall, white crib. On the wall were pictures of elephants, giraffes and whales and the bedding on the crib matched. A large chest of drawers was across from it beside the change table. It seemed to hold a sense of anticipation; that it knew something was missing and that it was waiting desperately for that piece to complete itself.

Rocking back, Chad raised an eyebrow at his friend. "You come here to think. In the middle of the night?"

"Well, yeah," Troy said, twisting his wedding ring around his finger. He leaned up against the chest of drawers and picked up a stuffed elephant. "It just...it calms me down and gets me relied up all at the same time."

"Look, dealing with Gabi can't be that bad."

"It's not!" Troy said quickly. "I don't know how she does it; she's amazing, I tell you. She's giving me the greatest gift ever...she's giving me a life to help raise. Someone to teach to play basketball and someone to sing lullabies to. But, Chad...what do I know about being a father? What do I know about children?"

What the heck was Troy talking about? "What do you mean, man?"

"I just," Troy let out a deep breath. "I'm an only child and I've never been around kids much my entire life. All my cousins and relatives were older. What if something happens and I can't _fix _it? What if..." Another sigh. "What if I'm not good at this father thing?"

"What?" Chad couldn't grasp what his friend was saying. Why was he so worried about something that he had no control over? Then again, that was Troy for you. Always on chapter twenty while the rest of the world was fourteen chapters behind.

He ran a hand through his hair and resumed fiddling with his ring. "What if I screw this up, Chad? What if I can't be there when I need to be? What if I can't handle it? What if I just don't have what it takes?"

There was that constant insecurity that his friend had always had. What if? What if?

"Troy," he said, standing up and walking over to his friend. "You love Gabi, right?" Troy nodded in reply. "And you love your baby, right?" Another nod. "Then, that's all you need. The rest? It will just come."

Troy swallowed and his face relaxed slowly. "You're right. You're right. I don't know why I'm worrying."

"Me neither, it took me forever to get the slightest inclination to what the heck you were so worried about," Chad joked. He glanced around the room. "Uh, I have to ask though; why is it green?"

"We don't know the gender yet and Gabi hates yellow, so we went with green," Troy explained. "This way, whether it's a boy or girl we can just add accents accordingly. She has this whole garden fairy theme picked out if it's a girl and a jungle one if it's a boy."

Chad laughed at the soft smile on Troy's face and the sparkle in his eye. "You're going to be so fucking good at this, Troy. Just watch."

Chuckling softly, Troy looked up. "You can be pretty damn wise sometimes, Danforth."

"Yeah, that's just the exhaustion taking. Go back to bed, hoops."

* * *

Four hours later, the phone rang. First instinct? Ignore it.

But he didn't.

Really, though, he should have because he was not ready to deal with the voice on the other line.

"Hello?" he said, groggily. He cast a hand over his face and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. His body felt so heavy and so weak and damn that Bolton for being so damn insecure!

"Have you been avoiding me?" The voice asked and Chad felt every part of him stiffen.

"No," he answered quickly, too quickly. He had been doing more than avoiding. He had been pretending that this whole thing didn't exist, even though aside from his eviction, it was all he could think about.

A sigh was the reply he received. "Yes, you have. Don't lie to me, Chad. I hate liars." There was a beat and Chad hung his head in shame. He wanted to hang up so desperately, but at the same time he wanted to stay on the line for as long as he possibly could, drinking in the moment.

"Taylor told me you're staying with Troy and Gabriella," another pause, "Bolton," the person on the other line added hastily as if an afterthought. "How are they doing?"

He shrugged, only to realize that they could not see him. "They're doing as well as they can be doing. Gabi's emotional as fuck and Troy's whipped like cream, so you know."

A chuckle came next. Chad could feel the edges of his lips turning up into a smile at that. "That sounds just like it should. Tell them I say hi."

Chad didn't answer, instead choosing to remain silent.

"Tell them I say hi, Chad," the voice persisted, sounding strained and emotional.

"I can't yet," Chad whispered.

"You haven't told them yet, have you?"

"No, damnit, I haven't!" Chad spat into the phone. "I will when I will! Everyone needs to stop pestering me about this! This concerns me and my own personal issues!"

"No, it doesn't," the voice on the other end hissed. "Not anymore. You know that, Chad. I can't believe you would even say such a thing."

"I just can't deal with this right now," Chad groaned.

"You mean you can't deal with me?"

"Exactly. That's exactly what I mean and I can't comprehend any of this anymore than you can and it's so damn unfair for you to preach to me constantly about how I have to be honest with myself and others just because it's so damn easy for you. It's not so easy for the rest of us!"

"Well, then, I'm sorry!" The voice barked, angry and hurt. "You can't expect me to put my whole life on pause waiting for you, Chad. I won't, I refuse. Until you give enough of a damn to jump in head first and tell the so-called 'most important people in your life' what's been going on, you can't expect me to wait."

"Then don't," Chad slammed the phone shut. "See if I give a shit."

Chucking the phone across the room, he flopped back on the couch.

It was too early for this.

* * *

"Troy, that doesn't go there," Gabriella's soft voice reprimanded. "You can't just shove anything wherever you like!"

"Well, I'm sorry!" Troy slammed the jar of peanut butter on the counter. "I'm sorry I don't understand your complicated, confusing as hell system for organizing our groceries!"

"Of course you don't understand systematic organization, Troy!" she snapped. "You teach the history of drama to university students!"

He gaped. "What has that got to do with anything?!"

Gabriella let out a shrill shriek of frustration. "If you're going to be such a jerk then why the heck are you even helping me? I'm perfectly capable of putting the groceries away myself!" To emphasize her point she threw a bag of carrots into the fridge and slammed the door shut.

Throwing up his hands in aggravation, Troy began unloading another bag. "Um, because you spent the whole car ride home harping on about how I never help you out anymore?"

"Fine then!" Gabriella said, her voice wavering. "Go! I don't want your help!"

Troy slumped over. "Gabi, don't be upset." He came up behind her and rubbed her arms comfortingly. "Just tell me where things go and I'll put them there, okay?"

"No," she sniffed, tears trickling out of her eyes. "Just forget it. You don't want to be around me anyways. You can't bear to look at me!"

"What?" he laughed incredulously at the suggestion.

"I'm as big as a house! I have swollen feet and swollen everything!" her breath came out in shallow gasps.

"Gabriella," he pressed his lips to her shoulder in a soft kiss and wrapped his arms around the swell of her stomach. "You say that like you're hideous, but to me, you've never been more beautiful."

Her crying ceased. "You're such a liar."

"No," he laughed again. "I'm serious. You're radiant, Gabriella. And I want to thank you every single second of everyday for being this stunning and giving me more than I could ever ask for or deserve."

Chad watched the scene from his spot on the couch, feeling very much the voyeur for eavesdropping on a very personal moment. But the two had just barged into the apartment with their arms full of groceries and he really, really didn't want to help, so he just kept quiet and continued reading the newspaper on the couch. Neither had noticed him.

Watching them, however, he felt a tug at his heart and remembered the dreaded phone call of doom from earlier in the afternoon. Watching his best friends embrace and prepare for their exciting future together caused him to want to take the plunge, to take that extra step.

Besides, how bad could it be? They were Troy and Gabriella, they understood everything. They stood against every odd that came towards them and they were nothing but sympathetic to those who did the same in their own relationships. If anyone were to understand, it would be them.

And damnit, he just wanted to be selfish for a change. He wanted what he wanted and the only way he was going to get it was by letting the truth free.

Now was as good a time as any, and given the current circumstances, he was not going to find a better one.

"Troy? Gabi?" he said, feigning ignorance. "Are you guys home?" He stood up off the couch and made his way to the kitchen. The couple separated upon seeing him. He smiled lazily at them.

"Are you two having a fight about where to put the groceries?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "It's a serious matter, Chad."

"Yeah," Troy scoffed. "Like you and Taylor don't have more stupid fights."

"Um, about that," Chad swallowed the lump on his throat. "I have to talk to you guys. It's serious. More serious than where to put the groceries."

As the two stared at him, confused and concerned looks playing on their features, Chad willed his beating heart to settle. Taking a deep breath and leading them into the living room, he slowly began to embrace the fact that after this conversation, things between them would never be the same.


	5. Chapter 4: Surprise!

Remember that open mind thingy? Yeah, continue to have one, dear readers. :)

Oh, and guess who's going to see Britney Spears? *raises hand* Haters to the lefffttt~

--

**For the Hundredth Billionth Time**

_Chapter 4: Surprise!_

--

_When they were seventeen and only three weeks away from graduating, Chad screwed up so much that his entire chances of getting a diploma were in jeopardy. It all started when he found that his biology mark was so low that failing seemed more likely than passing. It wasn't that he was stupid, despite common belief, but more that he was 'coasting'. He already had a guaranteed spot at University of Albuquerque and a case of senioritis had hit him hard after the musical._

_Once he broke the news to his dear friends and girlfriend, they were all equally devastated. The thought of Chad being unable to wear a cap and gown along with his best friends was devasting. Taylor was so mad at him that she didn't talk to him for two of the three weeks leading up to graduation._

_Just when it seemed like his entire world was going to collapse in front of him, Gabriella stepped in. She came back one whole weekend from her Stanford Honors Program (Troy had picked her up and they drove all night back to Albuquerque, something that was becoming routine for the pair) and she locked Chad in his bedroom along with a stack of textbooks, flash cards, highlighters and cans of Red Bull. She was determined to make sure he passed his final exam with flying colours, so much so that the percentage would boost his grade to a pass._

_And while she had fulled his brain up to the brim with information about ATP and the like, three days before he was to write the exam, he screwed up again._

_This time it was in the form of a practical joke, a senior prank. He just couldn't resist! How could anyone remember the Wildcat class of 2008 without them going out with one hell of a bang? A few clicks on Google had earned him the idea of planting over three dozen cheap alarm clocks in lockers, closets, shelves in the library and bathroom stalls, all set to go off two minutes after each other for two hours._

_It hadn't been long before he was caught and he was swept up in the principals office. The man had sat across from Chad and explained that the batteries in one of the alarm clocks had leaked, spilling acidic liquid all over a sophomore's locker and year's worth of work. Despite the fact that it was a senior prank, it was still ridiculous and even though there was three weeks left till graduation, he didn't have a qualm in the world about suspending Chad right then and there._

_Meaning he would not graduate at all._

_And as Chad had sat here, sinking deeper into the leather chair and hating himself for being so obnoxious, for wasting all of Gabriella's hard work, the door had opened slowly and Troy was standing there, a guilty look on his face. He then poured his heart out to the principal about how Chad had not been the only party involved in the situation and that he deserved equal punishment._

_Chad could only stare at his friend incrediously. He had been the only party in the prank and if Gabriella were to find out that not only was he not graduating, but her boyfriend wasn't, well, Chad didn't even want to think about it!_

_But with a few flicks of Coach Bolton's magic wand and promises to behave for the next three weeks, the boys were set off with nothing but community service._

_As the two stood behind the lunch counter handing out New York Apple Parfaits and tuna casserole, Chad asked him why he had done it._

"_We're brothers, Chad," Troy had said, his hair in a net as he scooped out macaroni and cheese. "You go down, I go down. Teammates."_

_And Chad had never felt so grateful for Troy Bolton in his life. Two days later, he wrote his exam and as Gabriella had intended, passed with flying colours._

_He then swore to himself that no matter what, he would always be there for them. He would never let them down._

Ten years later, seated across from them in the living room of their lavishly decorated apartment, he couldn't help but feel like he did just that. He felt physically ill and wanted to vomit all over their oriental rug.

"Chad, buddy," Troy began, snapping him out of his thoughts. He wore a playful expression on his face, but Chad could see the underlying worry in his eyes. He swung an arm around Gabriella and held her close, for support, most likely. "You okay?"

They were expecting the worse. They probably thought he was dying. Maybe he should just let them think that. It would be so much easier than the truth.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, sweating gathering on his brow. He stared at Troy and Gabriella and his eyes fell on their clasped hands; how Gabriella was twisting Troy's wedding ring around idly.

'Heh,' he thought, 'I guess that habit goes both ways.'

He would have been more amused if he were not feeling quite so sick.

"I, um, I have some things to tell you guys. You have to promise not to be too angry that I didn't tell you sooner," he paused, "Actually, no, don't go there. You can be as mad as you like, I know I would be. Um, well...I guess the best place to start with would be that Taylor and I broke up."

Their faces fell. For so long they had been this unbeatable foursome; going out on dates and generally being best friends. They loved double-dating. Gabriella tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and spoke up.

"I assumed something wasn't quite right with you guys," she said softly, a hand fluttering to her stomach. "I haven't seen you two together in a while."

Troy, however, took a moment longer to speak. "When did it happen?"

"Four months ago."

The silence that followed was deafening and he felt that his heart might burst right out of his chest it was pounding so wildly. He glanced back down and saw that Gabriella was spinning and twisting Troy's ring so many times that his finger was slightly raw.

He closed his eyes and willed himself to think of something else, anything else.

He thought back to their wedding day.

--

"_I can't believe this is actually it," Troy said, shaking his bangs out of his eyes. "I can't believe it's finally happening."_

_Chad yawned, bored. "I don't know why you're so excited, Troy. We all knew this was going to happen once we saw you two in the that 'Twinkle Towne' shit all those years ago. Now come on, let's get this thing over with. This tux is killing me."_

"_Try all you want, Danforth, but you can't bring me down," Troy grinned, smoothing the lapels of his jacket. His hands were shaking slightly as they waited at the alter. "God, I can't believe this is happening."_

_His friend was so disgustingly romantic. A regular Renaissance man, really. When had he become so whipped? It was draining seeing such someone that was once such a great masculine figure being transformed into a pile of mush._

"_Do you have the ring?" Troy whispered and Chad nodded, tapping the pocket of his pants. It was safe and secure; he had made sure of it._

"_I gotcha, hoops," he grinned. "I gotcha."_

_The opening strings of the wedding march filled the sounds of the church and Chad saw Troy stand straight and rigid, nervously clasping his hands at his sides. Chad chuckled slightly._

_The flower girl was first and she was all curls and ruffles as she threw pale pink rose petals down the aisle. She smiled brightly, all too ecstatic at being a part of someones fairytale day._

_The bridesmaids were next; Sharpay, Kelsi and Taylor, all dressed in elegant matching grey blue dresses with swept up hair. Chad winked at Taylor inconspicuously and she grinned saucily in return._

_As the music swelled and the congregation rose, Chad felt his heart thump in his chest ever so slightly, nervous for his best friend who was anxiously bopping from one foot to the other. Then, pristine in every possible, Gabriella began her ascent down the aisle and Troy froze._

_He was captivated by her beauty and his eyes lit up in a way no one had ever seen. His cheeks flushed and he couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face. _

_Chad glanced over at Taylor and saw her dabbing at her cheeks. He smiled slightly, but it turned into a frown when he didn't feel the adoration that he felt he should have. He loved Taylor, but looking at her, it didn't feel like it was anything close to what Troy and Gabriella were experiencing._

_Maybe it was wrong and awful of him to compare the two; they were completely different types of people, after all. But watching as Troy and Gabriella joined hands and the tears immediately sprung to her eyes, he couldn't help but feel that he was on to something._

_The feelings of dread continued to pass through him and it was at that moment after Troy spoke his heartfelt vows to Gabriella and he handed him the ring that he realized he was no longer in love with Taylor Mckessie._

_--  
_

Opening his eyes, he realized the sick feeling still hadn't gone away and willing himself to think of Troy and Gabi's wedding had only made him feel worse. He yanked his eyes away from the view of Troy's ring and looked up at his friend's faces.

Troy cleared his throat and paused for a moment, as if deliberating which words to use. "Four months? You've been broken up for four months and you never bothered to tell us? Why?"

"You could have, Chad," Gabriella said, desperately, looking more and more uncomfortable as the time went on. Gabriella had an instinct for these sorts of things, she always had. The look in her eyes told Chad that she knew there was far more to the story than he was letting on. "Why didn't you tell us? Please tell me it wasn't for some stupid reason like you were worried we'd be upset that we couldn't double-date anymore."

"No, it wasn't," Chad laughed humorlessly. "It's just...I've, um, fuck, I have no idea how to say this."

"Chad," Troy said sternly. "We're brothers. You can tell me, us, anything."

His throat closed in on him. "I've um, I've been seeing someone else."

"Who?" Gabriella asked, and the tone of her voice transported Chad back to the night of he and Taylor's break up.

--

_Feather-light kisses were being peppered on his shoulder blade and all he could think about was the methodical way of unclasping her bar. The damn thing got him every time, but unlike previous times, there was no rushing involved this time around._

_If she noticed the difference, she had yet to say anything. _

"_I love you, Chad," she whispered softly, letting out a moan as his lips advanced to her neck like clockwork. He gently sucked on the spot he knew she loved and began unbuttoning his own shirt._

"_Same to you, Tay," he said, wincing at his inability to put conviction into the words. It had been over two years since he realized that his feelings for Taylor no longer ran deep. He couldn't keep lying to her, couldn't keep lying to himself._

_And yet he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth._

_So instead he kissed her, innocently, naively like a school kid. No real passion behind the way his lips moved. He was moving on auto-pilot, doing what was expected of him._

_That was until he felt her still beneath him and push him back. She looked him in the eye and it was then that he knew that she knew._

"_Chad," she breathed, her voice suddenly trembling. "You don't want this."_

_He took her in then, taken aback by her beauty. She was clad in nothing but her black skirt and a light pink lacy bar that popped against her dark skin. Her hair was cropped short in messy curls and her eyes were large and watery. She was so devastatingly beautiful and he hated to break her._

"_No, I don't."_

_She sobbed then, throwing her blouse back on and gathering up her things. He didn't stop her and he knew that she was glad for it._

_--  
_

She hadn't spoken to him for a month after that. When she finally did, she was the first he came clean to and he felt free. Things were suddenly so much clearer to her that they were able to repair whatever semblance of a relationship they once had a move on, slowly but surely, and frankly he was so thankful for it.

"Troy, Gabriella," he said, looking them in the eye, ignoring their clasped hands. "You can't judge me for this and you can't hate me, but you need to know, I --"

"Who is the person you're seeing, Chad?" Troy asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Ryan Evans."

No one moved. No one blinked. Our scene is set: our protagonists are two males and a female. Male number one, Caucasian with sandy brown hair and blue eyes drops the hand of his wife, the female, Hispanic with dark hair and eyes. Male number two, African American, drops his head to his hands the silence nearly shatters their eardrums.

"What are you saying?"

The above is a question, a imperative sentence. It is not rhetorical and an answer is indeed expected from male number two.

"That I'm gay. Not in the I'm-so-happy kind of way either, but in the I like men kind of way. Shit, shit, shit."

Male number one rises. "I'm sorry, what? You? Chad Danforth? Gay? No, you're the biggest playboy I know."

"But I am, Troy, I am," Chad insisted.

"But you can't be, I mean, you're, you're Chad!" He gripped his hair and stared at his wife incrediously, who was gaping in return. "Can you believe this?"

She shrugged helplessly and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"What I don't understand the most," Troy said, staring at his best friend, "Is why you've waited this long to tell us? Does anyone else know?"

Chad swallowed. "Um, yeah."

"Who?"

"Taylor, Sharpay, probably Zeke."

"Sharpay knew this before us?" Troy yelled, the hurt in his voice evident. "I just...I can't comprehend all of this! Is this why you wanted to stay here so badly?"

"Um, Troy --" Gabriella's voice piped in.

"Just a sec, Gab! This is serious!"

"But I --"

"I can't believe you're dating Ryan fucking Evans!" Troy said, louder. He gripped his hair with his hands. "I just, I don't understand this. How long? Why didn't you tell me? Why?"

"Maybe because I freaked the fuck out!" Chad stood up, angry. "Did that ever occur to you, Bolton? Can you even begin to think about how fucking complicated this is for me?!"

"Troy!" Gabriella shrieked, grabbing his hand.

Panic rushed over Troy's face as he suddenly remembered his pregnant wife. "Gabi, babe, what's wrong?"

Her face was pale and contorted and she shifted her legs uncomfortably. "Okay, I know this is the worst possible time ever, but my water just broke."

Taking in the chaos that erupted around him, Chad Danforth realized should have known that his coming here really was the worst possible time ever. Not even flinching when Troy chucked the keys to his car at him, insisting that he drive did he think it would amount to this.

Taylor was so going to kill him.


	6. Chapter 5: The Sharpay Evans Factor

Okay, so this should be known as the chapter that nearly killed me. I honestly just left it for like, three days because I was so frustrated with it, but thankfully, dear old Gossip Girl gave me a little bit of help.

I'm also ridiculously sick and it's dreadful. :( My computer also hates me, but hey, Zac and Vanessa went furniture shopping on Saturday, so life is good. :)

I make a couple of references here. Hope you pick up on them! :) And the song is 'Secret' by The Pierces.

--

**For the Hundredth Billionth Time**

_The Sharpay Evans Factor  
_

--

"Breathe, Gabi, breathe"

Chad Danforth's head was spinning as he sped down the residential street at forty miles over the speed limit. In the backseat of the Audi were Troy and Gabriella, with the latter panting and groaning in pain while clutching the former's hand.

He should have never told them, oh god, what was he thinking? This couldn't possibly be coincidence! The stress of what he had just told them had totally induced labour!

"Oh my god," Gabriella said, her voice strained and Troy whipped his head around.

"Can't you drive any faster?" he barked, brushing the strands of Gabriella's hair away from her forehead.

Gritting his teeth, Chad pounded on the pedal harder. "I'm trying to go as fast as I can without getting us killed!"

"If you don't speed up, pal, I'll gladly kill you myself!" Gabriella let out another moan and leaned against the car seat.

Troy squeezed her hand and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Gabi, remember your breathing."

"Oh shut it, Troy!"

Weaving in and out of traffic, Chad tried tried to remember his own breathing. This interlude of sorts in his most vulnerable moment was most convenient and most distressing. All he knew was that he had to get Gabriella to the hospital and pronto or else major complications would arise.

When they finally pulled up to the hospital two minutes later and the paramedics ushered Gabriella into a wheelchair, Chad found himself following behind idly, having trouble taking in the whole situation. This was something he would never experience. He would never know what the panic of having a woman deliver his child.

It was odd, accepting that fact. Then again, it wasn't something he had ever really imagined, just something he had more assumed would happen. He cast a hand over his face, feeling older than his twenty-six years and watched as the world unravelled around him.

Entering the hospital, he was overcome with the bright lights and stench of cleanser. Everything was so orderly and neat and yet chaotic and messy all at once. He felt sick at the thought that in one room, someone was probably letting go of their lives and here a new one was just beginning.

Why the fuck was he being so deep all of a sudden? He finally found Troy, standing at the reception desk; filling out papers and arguing with the receptionist.

"Look, lady, do you really need to know my phone number right now?" He argued, setting the pen down and gripping his hair. "I need to get back to my wife!"

"The faster you fill out the paper work, sir, the faster you can get back to your wife," she answered in a monotonous voice.

Twisting his wedding ring, he glared. "Just let me go! I promise I'll come back and fill it out later!"

"I'm afraid I can't permit that, sir."

Chad came up beside his friend and laid a hand on his arm. "Chill, man. Just fill out the paper work."

Troy glared back in response. "Leave it to you to be rational right now! I can't, I have to get back to Gabriella!"

"Just fill out the paper work, Troy. Gabriella will still be there to break your hand when you're finished." His words left no room for argument and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Troy comply and fill out the rest of the paperwork. When he was finished, he set down the pen and stared at the receptionist.

She nodded, bored. "You may go."

As he set off down the hallway, Chad felt himself lurch forward and he grabbed his friends forearm. He suddenly had to know if everything was alright between them.

"Troy," he said, his throat tight. "About earlier..."

"Look, Chad," Troy shook off his arm. "Earlier was serious, I get that. And we will discuss it further in detail and I'm sorry, but right now my wife is in labour and if you can actually comprehend it, she and my child are all I can think about at the moment, so _let me go._"

With that he turned and ran back down the hallway to a nurse that was waiting for him to suit up in scrubs to enter the delivery room. Chad stared at him, feeling claustrophobic, just like he had all those months ago.

"Oh my god, we got here as fast as we could!" a voice squealed and Chad looked up and was met with the sight of hot pink and blonde hair. Sharpay Evans was dragging her fiancee, Zeke Baylor by the hand, looking frazzled and excited all at once. "Is there a bouncing baby Bolton yet?"

There were three distinct times Chad could remember giving Sharpay Evans more than second thought over the past three years. She was an acquaintance and his good friend's fiancee, but nothing aside from that. She did not have a spot in his little black book, nor was she on his Christmas card list and vice versa.

It was funny how all of that had changed in the past few months.

The first was the time in the tenth grade when he spent an entire week pursuing her romantically, and while they had made out in the kitchen of a lame house party, that was as far as they had gone. He was pretty certain that Sharpay was so intoxicated that she didn't remember a single second of it, or that she had just decided to block it from memory. Either way, neither had ever brought it up.

The second was in junior year when he decided that he hated her more than math homework and made every single effort possible to ignore her completely. She was a haughty, prissy little bitch and she hung onto Troy like a leech and he hated her. God, she just wouldn't go away for a long enough period of time.

The third and most recent time was three months ago, when she ran into him at Kitson LA.

_Riffling through a stack of Disel jeans, he was painfully aware of the paparazzi snapping away outside the window. He grinned to himself, however, pushing the rim of his aviator sunglasses up the rim of his nose, thankful that for once the attention was not on him. A particularly high-profile couple from some Disney musical (or something like that, he wasn't sure) were walking hand in hand and gasp! Drinking coffee!_

_Apparently they were more interesting than him buying jeans._

_Just as he found the one pair of vintage dark wash distressed jeans he had been searching for for the last half hour, he looked up to see a lot of blonde hair and tanned legs. He gulped._

_Sharpay Evans stood before him, balancing a Dolce and Gabbana tote bag on one arm and tapping her Marc Jacobs flats. She glared at him. _

"_Danforth," she said in way of greeting, her pink lipstick glistening. He winced, remembering the taste of it on his lips all those years ago. It had been goddamn awful._

"_Evans," he said, nodding before turning back to the jeans. Fuck trying them on. With her in the store, there was no way in hell he was sticking around any longer than he had to._

"_How have you been doing?" Sharpay, however, had a different idea in mind. She idely glanced at a stack of t-shirts and began unfolding them and reading their slogans. _

_He narrowed his eyes in response. What did she want? "Um, I've been good. How about you?"_

_She shrugged and set the t-shirts down. "Not buying these tacky t-shirts, I can tell you that." She looked him up and down. "Those jeans you're thinking of buying? Hideous, by the way."_

_His mouth dropped open. "They are not!"_

"_They are too," she smirked and then looked him in the eye, suddenly serious. "So I got a phone call from my choreographer brother. He had some interesting things to talk about."_

_Chad felt all the blood rush from his body and go straight to his head. Oh, good God, she knew. This was horrible! Only Taylor knew about the crazy, messed up fiasco that was...whatever the hell if was he had with Ryan._

_He should have known better, though. The Evans twins were always glued to the hip and it was expected that Ryan would have told Sharpay all about their budding...thing._

_He gulped. "Oh, did he now?" _

_She smiled coyly and stepped forward, setting a hand on his shoulder. She seemed calm then and sympathetic. _

"_I think you need to get really drunk and watch Gossip Girl with me."_

_And that is what they did. He found himself on the couch of Sharpay Evan's apartment six hours later, drunk off his ass from all the tequila he had downed. She sat curled up beside him clad only in a hot pink Juicy Couture sweatsuit. Holding the neck of the bottle, she took a fierce gulp and he marvelled at the way she was able to hold her alcohol. But that only entertained him for .05 seconds before he turned back to the television._

_The scene was elegant. Figures dancing around a ballroom at a cotillion, girls dressed in silver and gold gowns and the men in dashing tuxes. Chad watched in awe as one of the male protagonists proceeded to get in a fight on the dance floor._

"_What the fuck?" he screamed drunkenly, grabbing the bottle from Sharpay and taking a gulp. "Damn, Blair shoulda gone to the cot-cot-tillion with Chuckie, not Nateee."_

"_Nate's s'hot," Sharpay slurred. "He looks sorta like Bolton, yah know?"_

_Chad leaned in closer to the television screen, inspecting the actor. Indeed, he did resemble his best friend._

"_Yah thinks he's pretty?" Sharpay asked before bursting into giggles._

"_What?" Chad flushed. "No!"_

"_S'not your type, then?" she laughed wickedly. "Someone more blonder?"_

"_Shaddup, bitch. You don't have any-any idea what you's taking about." He focused back on the program where the lyrics of the song the actors were dancing to hit his ears._

"_Got a secret, can you keep it?_

_Tell me this one you'll save._

_Better lock it in your pocket,_

_Taking this one to the grave._

_If I show you then I know you won't tell what I said,_

_Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead."_

"_I fucking luvre this song...and it's like...like your theme song!" Sharpay said, pausing the DVD. She jumped up, tripping over her feet and paddled over to her iPod dock, where she some how accessed her brain power and found the song and it began blasting through the apartment. "Dance with me, Danforth!" _

_Chad stood and grabbed Sharpay's hand. "Of course, my...my..lady person." The two began dancing in what they believed to be an intricate waltz rivalling that of the actors on the screen. Really, it was a mashed up mess of swaying, knocking knees and stepping on toes._

"_I don't know what the fuck you did, Danforth," Sharpay said, leaning against him lazily. "But my brother sure is fucking crazy about you."_

"_S'no big deal," Chad muttered, playing with strands of her hair. "Hey, do you 'member that time in tenth grade when we made out?"_

_Sharpay burst into loud giggles. "Oh, yeah! You were making out with the wrong Evans, Danforth!"_

_He didn't smirk. "Shaddup, Sharpay."_

"_Whaaat?" she asked, blinking owlishly. "You and my brother are h-ook-ing up, Danforth. It's weird, I know, but it's hella awesomeness and you will be a sex-ay couple giving Troy and Gabriella Bolton a run for their money. And they have l-ots of it!"_

"_Yeah, but s'that's easy," Chad grinned. "Gabi's knocked up, 'member?"_

_Sharpay paused, processing the information. "Oh yeah! She's fat! Ha ha!"_

_The air in the room grew suddenly somber and Sharpay pulled Chad close. "Don't break my brother's heart, Chad," she said, and for a moment, both were completely sober._

"_I'm trying my best, Sharpay." For now, that was the best he could do._

"_Oh, okay. Let's go watch Nate and Blair fuck, now, okay?"_

And on the couch, fast asleep, with the DVD opening menu playing on repeat was where Zeke found them two hours later.

Chad recalled that evening with Sharpay with both fondness and regret. Fondness for he had found a trustworthy confident who most likely understood better than most and regret because he now knew every single plot line from the first season of Gossip Girl.

_Nate and Blair should have stayed together,_ he thought bitterly.

"I thought she wasn't due for at least three weeks," Zeke said, staring at Chad confused. "What happened?"

"Zeke, baby, these things are normal. Sometimes doctors predict the due date off by a few weeks," Sharpay explained. "The exact date of conception can be difficult to determine."

"Oh, no," Chad shook his head. "I'm pretty sure that I induced the labour."

Two shocked faces stared back at him. "Um, excuse me?"

"I, uh," he scratched the back of his head. "I told them I was gay."

"YOU'RE WHAT?" Zeke screeched as Sharpay brought a hand to her forehead.

"Um, gay?" Chad said meekly. Why was Zeke freaking out? Surely Sharpay had told him... "Didn't Sharpay tell you?"

"Tell me what?!" Zeke's voice raised to an extremely high octave and he grabbed Sharpay's arm. "What didn't you tell me?"

"That I'm gay," Chad felt this should have been more obvious. "How could you not tell him?"

Sharpay threw her arms up, frustrated. "I was waiting for you to tell Troy and Gabriella first!"

"What, that I'm gay or that I'm dating your brother?"

"What, so you wanted me to be last? Wait, you're dating _Ryan_? What the hell?!"

"Oh, Zeke, shut up for two seconds!" Sharpay yelled. The three fell into an uncomfortable silence, avoiding each others eyes.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone!" A chipper voice proclaimed. "I brought flowers! We can all sign the card."

Three pairs of eyes looked up and fell on the blonde and blue eyed Evan twin. He smiled, oblivious.

Sharapy slumped against the wall. "Well, if things were sufficiently awkward enough, we just need the doctor to come out and tell us that Gabriella is having sextuplets and being featured on Jon and Kate Plus 8." She glared at her brother. "Way to pick your moments, Ryan."

He stared, helplessly and held up the bouquet in confusion. "What did I do?" He looked at Chad for an explanation, but when his eyes met his, Chad was taken out of the moment and thrown back to that morning four months ago that changed everything.


	7. Chapter 6: And That's How It Happened

This chapter killed me. It murdered me. It took me forever to write and it's probably littered with errors, and I will revise them when I can see straight again, I promise.

--

**For the Hundredth Billionth Time**

_Chapter 6: And That's How It Happened_

--

_**Four months earlier...**_

Starbucks was equivalent to oxygen in Los Angeles. It was needed to survive. Actually, coffee in general, but Starbucks was like the cool-table in the high school cafeteria. It was coveted, it was desired, it was a status symbol. If you rolled around with a Starbucks cup, you were doing it in style.

Since people craved Starbucks like they craved acting gigs, the line ups were constantly long. Bopping from one foot to another, Chad just really, really wanted to get the fuck out of this line and get his Americano to go and pronto.

He had barely been sleeping since his break up with Taylor two weeks ago. He was used to having her around and now she wasn't even speaking to him. He rubbed his eyes beneath his sunglasses, thanking their exsistence because the dark circles under his eyes were starting to look a little scary. In fact, one paparazzi shot of them and the drug rumors would never end.

"You'd think they'd become more efficient around here," a vaguely familiar voice said. Chad glanced behind him and stopped, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Before him stood a man, about his age. He had deep blue eyes and blonde hair and there was something about the way he was smiling at Chad that made his heart skip a beat.

What the fuck?

"Chad?" the man prodded, laughing. "It's me! Ryan Evans?"

Chad blinked a couple of times before inspecting the man closer. "Well, I'll be damned!" Chad exclaimed, feeling completely awkward and belligerent. "Ryan Evans!"

In an impulsive move, Chad threw his arms around his old friend. Something coursed through him then and the feeling scared him more than life itself. He drew back quickly.

"Um, how have you been, man?" he asked, awkwardly, wishing the damn baristas would move faster and get him out of this situation.

Ryan shrugged and grinned brightly at Chad. "I've been good. Just finished a stint with Spring Awakening L.A."

The musical about sex. "Ah," Chad raised his eyebrows, his heart speeding up at the thought of Ryan in such a...sensual production. His shook the thoughts out of his head. What was wrong with him?

Truthfully, Chad cared for Ryan even less than he did his sister. Sure, they had played a few games of baseball back in the day, but Ryan was a show-boy first and foremost and Chad was the exact opposite. Besides, there was the fact that he was so blatantly gay that had always thrown Chad off.

Now, however, he felt intrigued. Compelled, even, at the thought of what Ryan Evans' life was like now that he was no longer chained to his sister and a star of the theatre in his own regard.\

"How about you? Still with Taylor?" Ryan asked casually, squinting to examine the menu above the register.

Chad let out a deep sigh. He still hadn't told anyone about his break up with Taylor. Though he had initiated it, he was having trouble accepting it. Somehow, though, the urge to come clean to Ryan was stronger than anything he had ever felt before, and the words fell from his lips faster than he could catch them.

"She and I broke things off a couple of weeks ago," he said, turning away from Ryan.

He saw the blonde's features soften out of the corner of his eye. "Damn," he said, bringing a hand to the back of his neck. "I thought you guys would be together forever, like Troy and Gabi."

Chad laughed bitterly. "Yeah, well, the only explanation I have for Troy and Gabi is that they're not human. That, or the sex is really good."

Ryan grimaced. "Okay, now I didn't need that mental image. How have you been holding up then?" He placed a hand on Chad's shoulder and he tensed immediately.

Why was this affecting him so much? Why was someone he barely knew or cared about putting him this far on the edge?

Shaking his hand off, Chad advanced further in the line, relieved that it was finally moving. "I don't know. Okay, I guess. She's coming by this afternoon to get some of her stuff," he let out a heavy sigh. "That is going to be hell."

"I can imagine," Ryan said sympathetically. "I know you and I have never been what you'd call close, but here," he grabbed a pen from his pocket and then took Chad's hand in his own. The electricity that paused through them was palpable and by the way Ryan paused, Chad knew he felt it too.

Hastily, he scribbled something on the underside of Chad's hand before withdrawing. He had a startled look plastered on his face, one Chad imagined was very simillar to his own.

"Just give me a call if you ever need...a friend," Ryan smiled lazily before starting to make his way out of the coffee shop. Chad felt his nerves jump and panicked, he called out,

"Where are you going?" He hadn't even gotten his coffee yet.

"This is taking way too long," Ryan waved. "I'm going to Coffee Bean."

And with that he was gone. Chad glanced down at the numbers scrawled on his hand and he wanted to rub them off. They burned his skin like venom.

An hour later and over two hundred paparazzi shots later, Chad tumbled in the doorway of his apartment. He surveyed the room. Everything felt so empty.

Flopping on the couch, he pulled out his cell phone and skimmed through his voice mail. There was one from Troy, asking him to meet up for lunch later and one from Taylor saying she'd be by to pick up her stuff just after one. He glanced at the clock.

It was 12:54. That meant he had at least six minutes before she came. He had sometime to compose himself.

Making his way into the kitchen, he pulled out a beer and ignored the fact that it was way too early to be drinking. He'd only have the one and maybe if Taylor didn't hate him too much, she'd show him how to use the complicated digital oven timer so he could heat up some real food.

Leaning against the kitchen cabinets, he popped off the lid of his beer and took a long sip, his head cloudy with thoughts of Taylor and Ryan, the latter of whom he could not get out of his head. His eyes flashed back down to the phone number on his hand.

What did Ryan think? That he'd really call him if he needed someone to talk? He had Troy for that, he had real friends. He didn't need Ryan Evans as a confident.

_Then why'd you tell him about Taylor?_ A little voice in his head inquired. Chad took a gulp of beer, hoping to shut that voice up.

The sound of a rapping on the door drew him out of his thoughts and he furrowed his eyebrow in confusion. Who could that be? Taylor was the only one dropping by, but she had a key. Of course she'd still use it.

Opening the door and seeing Taylor standing there, however, made his heart break. She looked small and weak and when she lifted her eyes to meet his he saw that they were red and swollen. She had been taking this worse than he had.

"Taylor," he said softly, stepping aside to let her in. "Why didn't you use your key?"

"I left it here when I dropped by this morning," she said, gesturing to the hall table. Sure enough, the small piece of metal sat there, unused. "It doesn't feel right just walking in anymore."

His heart lurched and he wanted nothing more than to tell her that he was sorry, he was so, so sorry and that they should just go back to the way things were, even if it was all a lie. As long as she was happy.

Stepping back into the hallway, she produced a large cardboard box. She held it out to him. "Here's some of the stuff you left lying around my apartment...and somethings I don't want anymore."

Shoving the box into his arms, she bustled past him and into the kitchen. Chad looked down into the box. Inside was a pair of his sunglasses, his toothbrush and shaving cream among other personal items. What really hurt was the stack of pictures she had placed in the bottom. Pictures of them on vacation, pictures of them at parties and on special occasions. She had even returned the large article she had framed when they were 'outed' in US Weekly three years earlier.

When she returned to the room holding a black garbage bag, he plopped the box down the floor. "Taylor," he ran a hand through his air, trying desperately to get her to settle down. "You don't have to give all this back. This stuff...these memories, they're yours as much as they're mine."

"See, thats' where you're wrong, Chad," she picked up a shirt of hers that was draped over the back of the couch. "I don't want them anymore. Just like you don't want me."

He watched in a blur as she grabbed picture frames off the wall and began ripping the pictures of their failed relationship out from under the glass. She threw them into the back with a sharp flick of her wrist and he could see her composure crumbling.

"Taylor..." He couldn't think of a damned thing to make it right. Couldn't think of a single phrase to utter to fix things.

"I don't need to hear it, Chad!" she snapped, throwing the stack of magazines she bought into the bag. "I don't need to hear anything from you!"

"But you do," he said, stepping towards her.

"No, I don't!" she screamed, dropping the bag. "I don't want any explanations! I don't want your lies! I don't want to know why the hell you kept me in the dark for so long, kept me chained to you when you didn't even want me!"

"I'm sorry!" he countered, feeling his insides split apart. "I'm sorry I did that to you! I don't know what the fuck I want, but goddamn, I wish I could just want you like I used to!"

"Well, you can't have me!" She brought her hands to her face and broke out into full on sobs. Her shoulders racked backed and forth with the weight of her pain and despite her protests, he dropped to his knees and hugged her around the middle. She tried to force him away, but he wouldn't budge.

"I'm sorry, Taylor," he said, burying his face in her stomach, inhaling her familiar scent. "I'm so sorry. I promise you that I will always love you, no matter what. I promise you that one day, this will all make sense. I'm so, so sorry."

And they stayed like that for several moments, Taylor still crying and Chad still holding on, bit by bit accepting that he had to let her slip away sooner or later.

When Taylor had finally left and Chad finally felt her tears on his t-shirt drying, he pulled himself up from his spot on the couch and waddled around his apartment. Despite his protests, Taylor had removed every single reminder of their relationship. He shuddered.

He looked down at his hands and the now smudged phone number on it. As if unable to control his fingers, he grabbed the phone and began dialing the number.

"Ryan Evans speaking," he answered, polite and formal. Chad smirked slightly. Some people never change.

"Hey, Evans," he wandered over to the hall table where a small pile of mail sat. "This sounds weird, but I kind of was wondering if you wanted to go get something to eat?"

The pause on the other end of the phone was long and Chad felt his heart race increase, wondering if he could possibly face rejection. "Well, I mean, we don't have to. I'm just bored and had a bad day and --"

"Chad," Ryan's voice said and Chad could hear the laughter that proceeded. "Calm down. Of course I'm up for something to eat. Can it just be something that's...not fast food? I don't want to clog my arteries."

Chad laughed in response. Leave it to Ryan to think of something so girly to worry about. "I know just the place."

And with that he hung up, genuinely looking forward to his meal for a change. He stared at the stack of bills before shaking his head and ignoring them.

He'd get to them later, maybe.

* * *

The small dinner was filled with people that evening. The bright lights and cheerful music filled the room, creating a casual atmosphere. In one corner a group of high school students sat, gossiping and shrieking over unsensible things and being generally over dramatic. Two young women decked out in skinny jeans and long cardigans sat across from them, sipping large milkshakes and sharing a plate of fries. At a table for two sat the same couple from that Disney musical; the ones that were constantly diverting attention away from Chad. He smiled at their entwined fingers and the way the girl laughed in response to whatever the boy said. He was so going to have to send them a wedding present as a thank you for getting those paparazzi off his back.

Even if they had never been introduced formally, or whatever.

The diner was a place of constant enjoyment for him. It was a place that, while they stayed stalked outside, the paparazzi could not enter. He had been going there for years and had long ago claimed the place as his own.

But he had never brought anyone with him before. Not Taylor nor Troy. This had been his place.

Bringing Ryan here...did that make it _their_ place? He shuddered again. What was with these thoughts? He and Ryan were barely friends.

But when the blonde entered the busy diner ten minute later, Chad couldn't decide what they were. All he knew was that he was inexplicably drawn to the smile on Ryan's face.

Ryan looked around the room, trying to find a face. He slipped past the two women and the booth of giggling school students and waved to the Disney couple (surely knowing them from some function or another). Finally, his eyes fell on Chad's figure and he burst into a grin.

As he slid into the booth across from him, Chad felt his hands lock on the menu fiercely. What had he been thinking?

"Hey," Ryan said, looking Chad up and down. He winced. "Bad day?"

Chad looked down at his disheveled appearance. "That obvious?"

Ryan chuckled. "A little." He waved his hand, indicating that it was no big deal. "You come here often? I have to admit, this wasn't what I had in mind at all. I got mobbed by a few photographers coming in here."

"Yeah, I do," Chad said, staring out the window. "If you'd rather go somewhere else, I understand."

"Nah," Ryan shook his head. "Right here is fine. Now, tell me, what's gotten you so down?"

"Taylor came to pick up her stuff," Chad said, gripping his hair. "She took more than that, though. She took all these photos, all these gifts she gave me. It's like she was never there. Some of her clothes are still in my closet, though. I mean, I know she's hurt...but how can she just erase everything like none of it mattered?"

Ryan was silent for a moment. "Taylor's analytical and obsessive compulsive. To her, getting rid of everything is her way of healing. It's like cleaning away all the hurt."

"Still," Chad glanced back out the window to see the Disney couple leaving. He squinted at the flashbulbs that followed, enjoying how they blinded him from reality. "I can't be with her anymore. It just isn't right."

"Why?" the blonde asked softly, cocking his head to the side.

Chad drank in Ryan's presence from across the table. From the way his blonde hair flopped into his blue eyes to his pale skin and black t-shirt. His eyes flickered over his and then he turned back to the window.

Above the beating of his heart, he replied, "I'm not entirely sure, but," he glanced at Ryan again. "I'm starting to understand why."

--

Their dinners suddenly became routine. If Chad was feeling particularly down, had a bad day or was just bored, he'd dial up Ryan Evans and the two would meet up at the diner. The paparazzi had already spotted them together a few times and the pictures had been splayed all over the Internet faster than either had liked. However, they were quickly linked as old high school friends, so any and all rumors had deceased as fast as they came about.

One afternoon, Chad found himself in the Bolton's apartment, helping Troy prime the nursery walls getting ready for the actual paint. Watching the process happen and the actual paint dry was so boring, Chad felt like choking himself.

"I don't understand the purpose of them, really," Troy said, streaking the wall with white. He stood back and inspected his work. "I mean, the whole thing just is...breathing. They cost too much to just teach breathing techniques that you could learn on the Internet."

"Yeah, but it probably puts Gabriella at a sense of ease," Chad said, rolling his own paint brush over the wall. This was so boring. He was never getting married.

"You don't understand, man," Troy shuddered. "It's just...it's weird."

"Then don't go," Chad wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. As boring as it was, this painting thing was hard work.

"That's the thing. I don't want to skip it. I want to be part of this whole thing," he stood on his toes to reach the part of the wall that met the ceiling. "If I blink I miss something."

"That's sad, man."

"Yeah, well, what have you been doing lately?" Troy countered. "Gabi saw a picture of you and Ryan Evans in _'US Weekly.'_"

Chad stiffened. That sounded so...weird. "Um, yeah, he and I met up for dinner."

He and Ryan connected. He didn't understand it, he didn't want it; but it was true. They connected and Chad was getting used to his company.

Besides, there was that underlying tension that neither had addressed. The awkward tension that propelled them towards one another.

"I didn't know you guys were friends," Troy said, obviously tip-toeing around the subject.

Chad shrugged non-chantly. "We've just been kind of hanging out."

Were they just hanging out? It was more than that...wasn't it? Ryan had suddenly become his first call. He was growing to love their conversations and even more, Ryan's company. He was craving it. He couldn't get Ryan out of his head. He saw something funny on TV and thought, 'Oh, Ryan would like that,' or if he was out and about and something he thought Ryan would like, he'd make a mental note to tell him about it later.

And then it hit him.

"So while I've been attending Lamaze glasses, you've been hanging out with Ryan Evans?" Troy smirked. "If someone had told me this ten years ago, I would have laughed in their face."

"They were probably laughing in your face anyway, sweetheart," Gabriella's sweet voice said as she stood in the doorway. "You guys work really, really slow."

Troy dropped his paint brush on the plastic drop sheet in a panic and ran to Gabriella's side. Carefully, he swept her up in his arms and ran her out of the room. "Gabi, you can't inhale paint fumes!"

"What -- Troy!" Gabriella protested as he carried her away. "You can smell them in the whole apartment!"

"What?" Chad heard Troy screech. "Then go stand on the balcony!"

There was a rustle and some more arguing before he heard Gabriella giggle. He poked his head out the door and found the couple in a liplock, smiling at one another fondly before waking back into the nursery and locking the door behind him.

The full realization of what he had just...realized hit him like a ton of bricks.

He liked Ryan Evans. He _like_-liked him.

"Chad, open up!" Troy pounded on the other side of the door. "You're going to pass out if you don't ventilate that room!"

Oh, god, how he wished he could pass out now.

--Three days later, Chad found himself pacing back and forth in his apartment, awaiting Chad's arrival. He felt nauseous. It was now or never.

He had called him up with every intention of figuring things out. Okay, first of all...he had feelings for Ryan, that he could no longer deny. It had all happened so quickly! One minute he was just this guy and the next he was this guy he...he cared about!

And did Ryan feel the same way? Oh, fuck, what if Chad were to confess everything and have Ryan throw it back in his face? A million thoughts began racing through his head at such a rapid pace that he felt dizzy.

When Ryan appeared in his door moments later and took in Chad's pale form, he rushed to his side. "Chad, are you okay?"

Swallowing, Chad sat down on the couch, pulling Ryan to sit down beside him."I need you to tell me I'm not crazy."

Ryan stared at him, confused. "You're not crazy? Why am I telling you this?"

"Because I'm losing it, Ryan," Chad gripped the sides of the leather couch. "I'm losing it. I can't think straight. Everything and anything I do is clouded with ideas and images and thoughts and feelings that I shouldn't be having!"

Ryan looked alarmed. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know what I mean!" Chad barked, standing up suddenly. He paced around the room. "I just, I can't stop thinking. I just broke up with Taylor – I should not be having this feelings! Especially not like this!"

"Chad," Ryan's voice was shaky now. "What are you talking about?"

"You!" Chad yelled. "You! You, Ryan Evans! You're all I can think about! Something happens and I call you! It used to be Taylor, it should be Taylor! But no, you waltzed in Starbucks that morning and changed everything! This is so wrong, Ryan! It's so, so wrong!"

"What's wrong?" Ryan sounded defensive and he folded his arms over his chest. "_That_ lifestyle."

"No!" Chad felt exasperated. "Not that! It's just, I don't live that lifestyle, or at least, I thought I didn't! And now...and now everything I thought was right is wrong and everything thought was wrong is right! And it's so bad, Ryan, it's so fucking bad because I want you."

For a moment neither spoke. Out of the corner of his eye, Chad saw Ryan take two steps towards him.

"Then let it be bad, Chad," Ryan said, his voice soft and dripping with emotion. "Because I want you, too."

Throwing caution to the wind, Chad ignored every implication, everything around him. He ignored what the tabloids would say, what his friends and family would say. All he knew was that when Ryan's lips met his, he knew nothing at all.


	8. Chapter 7: Seth and Summer

I've actually had this chapter written up for ages, but I've been so ridiculously busy that I just haven't had enough energy to upload it. That, and there's one more chapter left after this and then the epilogue, so I'm a little sad that it's ending. :( However, I have three other projects in the works: Three Troyellas, two being multi-chaptered (one of possible epic porportions) and one three-shot. I'm also planning a Sharpary centered fic that is going to be just as much fun as this one to write. :) This also doesn't include the oodles of other ideas I have, including the Christmas one-shot I'm working on. :) Fun fun!

Also, I'm actually submitting this as my ISU for my writer's craft class come January, so over the next two weeks I'm going to be thoroughly editing each chapter, so they won't be littered with errors.

--

**For the Hundredth Millionth Time**

_Chapter 7: Seth and Summer_

--

Chad needed coffee. He needed it like he needed his ten fingers and ten toes. He needed it like Madonna needed a personal trainer. He needed it like someone who had just had their arm cut off needed a blood transfusion. They had been stuck at the hospital for over nine excruciating hours and absolutely nothing was happening. There were no cries of joy (occassionally, Gabriella was heard crying out in pain, but it was very faint through the thick walls), there were no tears from the baby, there was no arguing over who could hold the baby first. There was just...a lot of waiting.

How long did it take to deliver a baby anyway? Shouldn't this just be an in and out kind of situation? When Sharpay noted that it sometimes took longer than twenty-four hours, Chad nearly threw up with impatience. Over twenty-four hours? Oh, fuck that! He could barely stand this place after four.

Chad had spent the last nine hours pacing back and forth on the lobby floor outside Gabriella's room, counting floor and ceiling tiles with Zeke and engaging in a fierce debate with Sharpay on the endless topic of the Nate and Blair coupling versus the Chuck and Blair pairing.

Taylor still hadn't arrived, stuck in a business meeting until two hours earlier, and she then proceeded to get stuck in L.A. Traffic, so Chad had taken it upon himself to text her updates every ten minutes, such as:

"**no bb yet. Gabi just threatened T again."**

and

"**there's 473 tiles on the ceiling. Zeke is staring on the floor. Oh, & no bb yet."**

Basically, he was doing anything and everything possible to avoid talking to Ryan, who seemed to be completely befuddled at the lack of...communication Chad was currently offerring. It wasn't that he was giving him the cold shoulder, or anything drastically harsh like that. He just wasn't...talking to him.

Or looking at him, for that matter.

He had every intention of remaining seated, having long ago decided to count the strands of hair on Sharpay's head, but the caffeine craving took over him badly. His tongue was screaming for it, his brain began to blur and become fuzzy. He needed coffee, and so he left his comfy spot on the hospital chair and ventured off to find some.

And find some he did, in the form of a vending machine. He glared at it menciningly. It had better behave and give him the best goddamn coffee ever.

For a $1.50, of course.

He inserted his change and pressed the buttons on the machine, eagerly awaiting the hot drink. A moment later when the machine sputtered, hissed and nothing was produced, Chad felt greatly dismayed, if not horribly aggravated.

"Don't do this to me!" he yelled, throwing himself against the machine. "Need liquid energy!"

"It can't hear you, Chad," a cool voice behind him said and Chad whirled around to see Ryan standing there.

Damn. Guess he couldn't avoid him forever. Especially since they had been crammed in the same small space for the last nine hours and it seemed like they were going to be there for even longer.

He smiled sheepishly. "Hey." He removed himself from the machine and slid against the wall adjacent to it.

"Hi." Ryan sat down next to him and Chad could feel the heat radiating off of his body. He took comfort in knowing that despite his cold actions, Ryan was still warm. "So..."

"So..." Chad let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

Ryan bit his lip. "So...you told Troy and Gabriella?"

He asked it like a question but the way it was phrased sounded like a sentence. Either way, it put Chad immediately on edge.

Narrowing his eyes, he pushed himself off the ground. "Oh, no. You cannot corner me like this at this time of the night! Without coffee!"

Ryan's eyes wildly darted to the clock on the wall across from them and he gaped. "It's only 8:42 PM!

"Exactly! It's way too late!" Chad exclaimed "And we've been here for nine fucking hours and there's no baby in sight! And my head feels like it's going to explode because I've been staring at these walls so long that I'm beginning to see the difference between beige and bisque!"

"Well, bisque is lighter; creamier and closer to--"

"I know that!" Chad paused and gripped his hair. "Well, I do now, apparently! But the point is, we probably wouldn't even be here waiting for Gabriella to give birth three weeks earlier because I was so damn selfish in the first place!"

Ryan's features darkened considerably and he was silent for a moment. Chad felt something within him sink and his eyes darted across Ryan's face in a panic.

Clearing his throat, Ryan finally spoke, "You weren't being selfish."

What the hell? "Yes, I was!" Chad spat in reply. "I just _had _to tell them. There was no way I could wait any longer. I was just so self-absorbed and worried about my own ass, as usual. I came to stay with them at the worst time possible. I chose today to tell them. God, you don't understand, Ryan! All this just comes easy for you!"

"I don't understand?" Ryan asked, incredulously. He scoffed. "You think it's easy for me? Do you have an idea the ridicule I've faced? For years? It never gets easier, Chad, never. And if you can't deal with it, back out now because I don't need this bullshit in my life."

'Maybe I should." His words sounded foreign and wrong, but he had said them before he could stop himself and he was free-falling off a cliff to his doom because of them.

Ryan laughed bitterly and rose from his seat on the ground. "You know what, Chad?"

"What?"

Brushing off invisible lint and straightening his polo shirt, Ryan met his gaze. Like a tonne of bricks, Chad was taken aback by it's force, by how cold it was.

"If you think," Ryan began icily, "That your 'confession' was so traumatic that it played such a huge part in the birth of a human being; the beginning of a brand new life..then you're being disgustingly selfish."

And with that, he turned on his heel and left.

Chad stared at his retreating back and sighed heavily. Slumping against the coffee machine, he tapped it pathetically.

"Please give me coffee?" A dip fell from the nozzle in response and feeling thoroughly defeated, he sat back down against the wall and pulled out his cell phone.

"**no bb yet. Ryan hates me. /3"**

"So my brother is obsessively drinking cream soda and eating jello from the cafeteria, so I'm assuming you and he had a fight of epic Chuck and Blair proportions."

A pair of pink Converse sneakers fell into Chad's line of vision and when he looked up, he saw Sharpay looking down at him. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she took a seat next to Chad who was still stationed next to the coffee machine, sulking and waiting for a miracle. He tapped on it again, weakly, begging for a response.

"Worse," his head lolled to the side. "It was more Serena and Blair."

Sharpay closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall behind her. She took a deep breath before proceeding with her words, which Chad could tell were, for once, carefully worded. "Chad, you can't keep pushing him away because you're scared."

"I'm not!" Chad protested. She shot him a deadly look in response and he cowered away from her. "Okay, so maybe I am. Do you blame me?"

Letting the locks of blonde hair fall down over her eyes, Sharpay shook her head. "No. Remember how long it took me to tell everyone I was with Zeke?"

Chad nodded, recalling the time at a group dinner that she randomly announced that she and Zeke had been together for nearly a year. "That was just plain ridiculous. You guys had no reason to hide it from anyone."

She glared. "I know that. But the point is, the prospect of a new relationship – any new relationship – is scary. But it doesn't have to be this hard."

"Yeah..."

"Look," Sharpay said, sitting up straighter and Chad felt himself inwardly groan, waiting for her monologue. "My brother may have questionable taste in hats and music, but he's a good guy. He's got the kindest heart I know of and he does hilarious celebrity impersonations. You are a basketball lunkhead, who despite your faults, cares for your friends more than I thought humanly possible. For some strange reason, he likes you and as much as I never thought I'd say this, especially to you, of all people, Danforth...you two go well with one another."

Chad smiled, feeling suddenly happier, more confident. Sharpay was right. He and Ryan...despite how wrong it was...it worked. "Thanks, Sharpay."

Smiling back she motioned for him to stand up. "Now, you two go make up so you can go back to being our Seth and Summer."

He cocked an eyebrow, confused. "Seth and Summer?"

"Well, you're no Ryan and Marissa and you know Troy and Gabriella have the whole Sandy and Kirsten thing going on." She grinned at her wit, but it quickly turned to a frown when she saw his blank stare. "The O.C.?"

No response.

"Oh, God, Danforth...you have so much to learn about life."

As the two headed back to the lobby outside Gabriella's room, Chad's ears perked up as he heard an excited female voice. Sure enough, talking to Zeke and Ryan was Taylor, decked out in her work apparel, her hands fluttering around her face. She saw him and grinned brightly.

In three quick strides her had her scooped up in his arms and into a giant bear hug.

"Babe!" he exclaimed. "You're here!" He gave her a twirl and put her down.

She laughed as her feet hit the ground. "Finally! It's only been five hours since you finally got a hold of me! That damn meeting felt like it was never going to end! However, I don't feel like I've been missing much with those text alerts of yours."

Chad grinned cheekily. "It was the least I could do." He pulled her into another hug. "I told them, Taylor!"

Pushing out of his grasp, she stood back to stare at him in shock. "You what?"

He nodded, excited. "Yep! Told them and then Gabriella went into labour!"

"What?!" she screeched and Chad winced. Maybe he should have left that detail out, even though it was obvious that it probably had little to do with the incident.

"How could you be so tactless? How could you be so dumb? Oh, I swear, Chad!"

Chad ignored the insults that were being flung at him and instead caught Ryan's eye over Taylor's shoulder. Taking a deep breath, he stepped away from the fuming female and over to Ryan.

"Can we talk?" he asked, looking down at his feet. Ryan nodded and the two headed down the hallway a little ways away from every else. But that didn't stop their prying eyes and ears, however, so they kept their voices hushed.

"First of all, I'm sorry," Chad began, shuffling his feet.

Ryan folded his arms. "You can't just slap a band aid on it and make it go away, Chad."

"I know. But this is new to me," Chad retorted.

"I know that. But this...this is different. This won't be like the easy relationship you had with Taylor. This will be harder. This will require work..." Ryan looked down. "I'm not sure if you're ready for that or if you want that."

"Ryan," Chad looped his hand with his. "I do. But this is new to me and since it's going to be hard, let's just take it one day at a time."

"You really want that?" Ryan asked hesitantly.

"I do. I want to make this...us...work."

"Even if it isn't going to get any easier?"

"You bet."

Chad glanced down at their entwined fingers and he felt a wave of warmth pass through him like never before. Holding Ryan's hand he felt prepared to take on whatever was going to hit them, no matter how hard it was going to be.

"Oh, god damn!" Sharpay squealed. "You two are so freaking adorable."

"Shut up, Shar!" Ryan yelled, flushing red. Chad just squeezed his hand, blushing himself.

In their moment of bliss, a piercing wail cut through the air. Everyone froze.

"Is it--?"

"Do you think--?"

Nobody moved as their waited confirmation of their suspicions. Two minutes of silence and eye shifting occured until the door flung open and Troy stood before them. He was dressed in scrubs and looked tired and beads of sweat had gathered on his forehead. But his face was flushed with happiness and his eyes glowing and there was a massive grin plastered on his face.

"It's a girl. We have a little girl."


	9. Chapter 8: Everything Will Be Alright

Here it is. The last chapter. Next is just the epilogue and this baby is done. :)

**EDIT: **I'd just like to add that the reason this took so long was because I could not for the life of me decide what to name Troy and Gabi's little girl. Many a history class did I discuss it with the best friend and nothing seemed to fit, nothing. So a special thanks goes out to MY BROTHER, of all people, for thinking of the name. Thanks to him, I have now decided that if Troy and Gabriella were to have ever have children in High School Musical: The Middle Age Years, their daughter's name would be Melody because it is insanely cliche and perfect and DISNEY.

---

**For the Hundredth Billionth Time**

_Chapter 8: Everything Will Be Alright_

---

Alice Melody Bolton finally came into the world at 11:37 PM that August day and to everyone who saw her, they all agreed that she was a beautiful child. Upon seeing her, one could immediately tell that she had her father's nose and ears, while she had her mother's cheekbones and mouth. A small tuff of dark hair covered her hair, and it was ridiculously apparent that her large blue eyes would remain that colour even as she grew. Alone, she was stunning.

But when she was with her parents, she was breath-taking.

The picture the small family painted when their friends entered the delivery room two hours after Alice's birth was one that no artist or picture could capture. Baby Alice was wrapped in a soft pink blanket and lying in her mother's arms. Gabriella stared down at her little girl, exhausted, but glowing with a radiance that she had never displayed before. On the edge of the bed sat Troy, the softest of smiles playing on his face, with one arm curled protectively around Gabriella and the other resting on his daughter's blanket. His eyes danced and sparkled as he looked down on his girls with more love and adoration that anyone thought the goofy young man possible of.

It was enough to make Chad's nervous, erratic heart still and melt at the sight.

"Oh, damn," Sharpay said from her spot next to Chad. He looked at the side and was slightly alarmed to see the blonde sniffling, her eyes welling with tears. "Oh, you guys...you're so precious!"

And with that she burst into happy tears and bounded across the delivery room, throwing her arms around Troy and pecking Gabriella on the cheek. The rest of the group followed, all gathering around Gabriella's bed, eager to view her new baby girl.

"She's stunning, Gabriella," Taylor said, sitting on the end of the bed. She reached over and patted her friend's hand. "Your mother and Troy's parents are on their way from Albuquerque. They're upset they missed the big show, but estastic, regardless."

Gabriella smiled softly and entwined her fingers with Troy's. "I'm glad they'll be here soon," she shifted her child in her arms and allowed her index finger to be wrapped in the child's grasp. "Now, you little one, it's time to meet your extended family."

"What's her name?" Zeke said, standing next to Sharpay and rubbing her back as she sniffled to herself.

Troy beamed and looked down at his girls again, his eyes still dancing. "Alice Melody Bolton."

"Why Alice?" Ryan said, pulling Chad closer to the bed. The nerves running through him were making him dizzy and as much as he wanted to avoid this moment, not to possibly rain on Troy and Gabriella's happiness parade, he knew it was not possible.

"Like Alice in Wonderland," Troy said, brushing the strands of dark hair on Alice's head. "It's Gabi's favourite book." He glanced up then and his eyes fell on Chad and Ryan's locked hands. His eyes darted up to Chad's briefly, and a look passed between them.

It was a look that was only conveyed between best friends. One that spoke a secret language that they had developed so long ago in between playing in junkyards and basketball. In the moment their eyes met, Chad felt his heart beat slow to a comfortable rate. In that one look, an entire conversation passed between them, with Chad asking the obvious and Troy answering that he understood and that it did not matter.

But the moment passed as all moments do, and Gabriella's voice caught Troy's attention as she continued explaining the name. "Alice was an adventurous, imaginative and curious girl...just how I imagine our Alice will be." Troy beamed down at her and Chad couldn't help but chuckle at the ridiculous expression on his face.

"And Melody?" Ryan asked again, pondering the name. After a second's thought, a slow grin spread across his lips. "Melody...as in music, right?"

Troy and Gabriella exchanged grins. "It's what brought us together, isn't it?"

"You guys are so...I can't believe I ever tried to break you up!" Sharpay suddenly interjected, still crying. "Oh, damn. I brought a digital camera. Let's take a picture. Now."

And the group gathered together around Troy and Gabi, happy to share in the warmth that radiated from them and more than overjoyed to share in the celebration of the new life that lay between them all.

--

It was not until three weeks later that Chad ventured back to the Bolton's apartment. Since the cat had long ago been let out of the bag, he quietly collected his things from their apartment the night of Alice's birth and went to spend the next few weeks with Ryan, a situation that had been growing so comfortable that they were considering making it permanent.

He was happy, this much was true. He was content with his life and with Ryan and their relationship. Astoundingly, the tabloids still hadn't picked up on their budding affair, still convinced that they were just friends, but that didn't mean that people still didn't talk. It didn't bother hiim though; it was one thing to guess and another thing to know.

And even if they were to find out in the future, he didn't fucking care.

Despite how happy he genuinely was, he and Troy still hadn't spoken much since Alice's birth. Troy had been caught up in helping Gabriella stabilize (her emotions were even more out of wack than before) and midnight feedings were increasing as the days passed. They had conversed over the phone on a few occasions, but both were so distracted with that drastic changes in their lives that neither had time to really discuss anything.

Which is why Gabriella invited Chad over for dinner one evening, insisting that it was time that the three of them sat down and talked. Chad couldn't have agreed more, but he was never one to really listen to Gabriella's advice, and therefore, he 'begrudgingly' agreed.

Knocking on their apartment door, he found it odd that mere weeks ago he had wormed his way inside. Now the very thought of entering it was terrifying.

But seventeen seconds after the knock, the door swung open to reveal Troy standing there. He smiled upon seeing Chad.

"Hey," he said, one hand still on the door. "You not going to barge your way in this time?"

A lopsided smile fell on Chad's features. "No. You going to try to kick me out again?"

Troy shook his head and he grinned at his friend. "Come in. Gabi and I were just going to put Alice back down for a nap."

Chad gulped and nodded, entering the apartment. Things had changed since he had last been there. The apartment, once neat and orderly, now had random objects littered everywhere. It was by no means messy, but it was apparent that neither Troy nor Gabriella had time to concentrate on housework.

"Chad!" Gabriella exclaimed, sitting up from the couch, shifting Alice to lay against her shoulder. "How are you?" she walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek in greeting. Smiling gently, she handed Alice off to her father and quickly ran to the kitchen. "I'm going to make some tea."

Taking in the situation, Chad willed himself to calm down. This wouldn't be nearly as bad as breaking it to them, would it? Although he was fairly certain that Troy had accepted everything he had told them, he was couldn't help but feel nervous. As he took a seat on the familiar leather couch as Gabriella went off to prepare tea and Troy settled Alice in the playpen, he bobbed his leg up and down, trying to figure out something to do with his hands. No wonder Troy fiddled with his wedding ring so much...it gave him something to do.

When Gabriella returned to the room a few minutes later and took her designated spot next to Troy on the couch, the three fell into a silence. Chad saw Gabriella grab Troy's hand and within seconds she was twisting his wedding ring.

They were just as nervous as he was.

"So," Troy began slowly, running his free hand through his hair. "You're gay."

The statement was so blunt that Chad felt himself laughing, starting as a chuckle and going on to near hysteria. His laughter was contagious and Troy and Gabriella soon found themselves laughing along with him.

"Leave it to you, Bolton," Chad said, wiping away at the tears that pricked at his eyes. "Only you could say something that blunt and no one would bat an eyelash."

Grinning in response, Troy shrugged. "It's a talent, what can I say?" Beside him, Gabriella's fingers stilled and she stopped twirling Troy's ring. Suddenly, the air was comfortable again.

"Seriously, though," Troy said cautiously, pulling he and Gabriella's hands into his lap. "Be honest with us. How did it all happen?"

Chad sighed deeply and went into the story about how he and Chad had met that fateful morning at Starbucks. He then confessed that he hadn't been in love with Taylor since the day of Troy and Gabriella's wedding, and that the way they looked at each other had been a big factor in discovering that, a fact that made the two blush with embarrassment. He detailed the events of he and Taylor's inevitable break up and he and Ryan's subsequent meetings.

"I just...I freaked out, I guess," he admitted, bringing a hand to the back of his neck. "I didn't know what I was doing. Here I was, my whole life thinking I was one way when all of a sudden, I wasn't. I barely slept, I barely ate...and yeah, I ignored my rent payments, which is what landed me here."

Gabriella furrowed her brows and she detached her hand from Troy's to grab Chad's. "This...I mean, that...it wasn't healthy."

"No, it wasn't," he agreed. "But I didn't know how to react. Everything was suddenly so different and nothing else mattered but figuring out what it all meant. Not sleep, not food, not paying the god-damn rent. I wanted normalcy back, but at the same time...I wanted something new." He paused. "It's still settling in, really. I mean, it's kind of a big deal."

"It is and isn't," Troy spoke up suddenly. Lacing his fingers through Gabriella's again, he looked at her with the faintest of smiles on his face. "You can't help who you love, Chad. And when it comes down to it, that's all it is. Love. Who you are doesn't matter, but the fact that you love and have someone to love in return...that does."

Chad didn't answer for a moment, taking in the Bolton's apartment surroundings as he pondered Troy's words. In the kitchen, empty bottles and dirty dishes were on the counter, but a small bouquet of flowers that Troy had no doubt brought home after a trip to the grocers sat on the windowsill. Beside their wedding picture on the hall table, just next to Gabriella's car keys, sat a newly framed picture of Alice. And looking at the couple across from him and their new child lying in the playpen adjacent to them, he could feel the love from them and he knew that Troy was right.

"Does this mean you're...okay with everything?" He asked carefully, preparing himself for the worst response, even though he knew he shouldn't be.

Exchanging a glance, with his wife, Troy spoke first.. "It wasn't the greatest of timing, to be completely honest with you, Chad. I don't think I'll ever understand what made you decide to tell us weeks before Gabriella gave birth, but I don't understand half of what you do. It's a shock, that much is for sure, and it'll take some getting used to."

"I understand if it puts a strain on our friendship," Chad said, hanging his head slightly. "I can imagine how uncomfortable it must be for you now...

"Yeah, it's weird, but it'll be fine with time. Dude, you could murder someone and we'd still be friends," Troy said earnestly as Gabriella shot him a look. Upon receiving her cold stare, he backed up a few sentences. "Well, as long as I didn't know them and was in no way shape or form connected to the act itself."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "What he means to say, is that of course we accept you for exactly who you are. We love you, no matter what you do."

Chad felt his heart fill to the brim with affection for his friends. "Thank you, guys. You have no idea how much this...how much the two of you, mean to me."

"Chad," Troy said, shifting on the couch. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "There's another reason we'd asked you to come here today."

"You mean the whole point of this visit wasn't to discuss my romantic life?" Chad quipped.

"We'd be honored," Gabriella began, her voice cracking with emotion, half of it hormone induced, and the other genuine. "If you would be Alice's god-father."

And Chad was stunned. Glancing at the baby's small form, he drew a hand to his chest and pointed at himself. "Me?"

"Who else?" Troy asked. "There's no one else we would trust more. We want you to be Alice's God-Father. You and whomever you chose to be with would be the only people we want to keep Alice safe. God forbid."

Feeling his throat close up, he stepped off the love seat and embraced them both. "You have no idea how much this means to me. None. I don't deserve such an honor, but I'll accept it fully and whole-heartedly."

As the three friends hugged and shared the moment, little Alice was growing restless and a loud cry of despair shattered the serenity.

Gabriella and Troy exchanged a panicked glance, the new parents that they were, but Chad pushed them both firmly onto the couch.

"No," he said, "I've got this. It's time Alice bonded with her God-Father."

Lifting her out of the playpen, he held her carefully in his arms and marvelled at her beauty once more. She was perfect in every way that you would expect a new human being to be and he couldn't help but feel excited at the prospects of the long life she was going to live, how she was going to fill the years and the wonderful person she was going to turn out to be.

"Hi, Ally," he said, deciding Alice was too stuffy. He rocked her back and forth. "I'm your god-father, Chad. We're going to be very best friends, I promise."

As if under a spell, Alice's cries dispelled and she quickly drifted back to sleep.

"Do you want to put her in her bassinet?" Gabriella asked, gesturing towards the master bedroom. "She'll probably be out like a light for a few more hours."

Chad nodded and headed down to Troy and Gabriella's room, smirking to himself to see the clothes strewn across the floor and their unmade up. Placing Alice down softly, careful not to wake her, he stepped back and let out a content sigh.

Gazing down at Alice, wrapped in her soft blankets as the stars dangled from the mobile above her, Chad smiled and was overcome with the feeling that life was okay. That he was exploring new territory with someone he had never thought he would, but it was right and he was excited as hell. That his best friend accepted him for all his faults, all his downfalls. That he was safe and strong and happy. That this new life could live a life filled with happiness, peace and love and that she would be completely engulfed in love.

And it was true. There was love seeping from the kitchen, where Troy and Gabriella stood, sharing the lightest of kisses. There was love written through the invitation that sat on their counter, asking them to save the date for Sharpay and Zeke's wedding. There was love in the text messages Taylor sent him daily, reminding him to turn on his alarm system.

And there was love in the light blue eyes that met his every morning, promising him that forever was possible.

"Hi, Ally," he said quietly, dipping his head down to look at her closer. "You've come into a place with a lot of love in it. One day, you'll realize how lucky you are because of it, if you don't get fed up with all of us first."

_But I look at you, warm in your dream while your mobile dances above,_

_and I think to myself, it's a beautiful night,_

_and I know everything's gonna be alright._

_Yes, now I know it'll be alright._


	10. Epilogue

It's finished. I'm so happy! I have to thank my best friend Jacqui, just for reading through it and enjoying it as much as she did. If it were not for her and her random musings (she doesn't even like HSM), this story never would have happened. :)

---

**For the Hundredth Billionth Time**

_Epilogue_

---

_One Year Later_

"I don't get it," Chad said, perturbed. He inhaled the sweet air of the bakery and looked at the man standing next to him. "Picking up the cake was supposed to be my job. Why are you here and why are you doing it?"

Handing the cashier his credit card, Ryan gave a heavy sigh and scrolled through his Blackberry. "I am here, Chad, because although picking up the cake was your task, and the easiest out of all the ones assigned, you were supposed to have said cake at the Bolton home over two hours ago."

Chad bristled. "Well, Ryan, it's obviously not going to get there any faster with you playing superhero and picking it up now, because I happened to arrive here mere seconds after you did! It'll get to Troy and Gabriella's kitchen table at the same time!"

The cashier returned with a large box and Ryan accepted it, smiling in thanks. His expression did a total one-eighty when he looked back at Chad, however. "Gabi is not happy with you," he said, glaring. "Besides that is completely besides the point anyway."

Leaving the building, Chad flipped on his aviators and fell into step with Ryan, examining the area for photographers. They seemed alone. For the time being.

"I don't understand why she's making such a big deal about this," Chad said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I mean, it's not like Ally's gonna remember any of this!"

"Are you serious? It's her first birthday!" Ryan said, scandalized. "This is a huge deal!"

Chad rolled his eyes. Dear Gabriella Bolton had been going out of her mind the past three weeks planning an extravagant soiree for her one year old daughter. There was food and balloons and entertainment thanks to one Kelsi Neilson and it seemed that every one of their close friends and their grandmothers were assigned tasks in helping the day run smoothly. Gabriella's obsessive attention to detail was wearing everyone thin, even her doting husband who spent three hours hiding at the gym until she tracked him down and dragged him home.

Chad ignored Ryan's babbling, going on about how this was a super important birthday, memorable and monumental. Even as much as the sixteenth or eighteenth or twenty-first. He saw a familiar flash go off out of the corner of his eye and he stiffened. Ryan stepped closer to him, allowing their forearms to brush, as if sensing his discomfort.

"It's okay," he said, motioning across the street. "They're not here for us."

The tabloids and paparazzi had been ruthless when it came to desecting Chad and Ryan's relationship, though they were still unable to truly get to the bottom of it. Despite the constant rumors, the pair had decided that it would be best for both their careers and the relationship if they remained to say that they were nothing but close friends. It was difficult, though, being unable to show any sense of intimacy or affection in public, but it made the times they shared in private all the more special.

Chad glanced across the street and sure enough, the paparazzi were trailing that same Disney couple, who seemed to be even more boring than he and Chad, walking in step with each other and holding brochures for furniture. Chad cocked an eyebrow.

"Damn, those two can never catch a break, can they?" He asked as he watched the two enter their car. "And that's a girlie car he's driving."

Ryan scoffed. "First, it's an Audi, just like yours and second, it's hers. But, no, they never catch a break, but they also never cease to divert attention away from us."

Chad smiled softly. "I don't know how they do it. I can barely handle the attention you and I get. The speculation is really starting to get to me."

Things had grown very comfortable with Ryan, and the two had moved in together quietly three months earlier. They were still constantly finding out new things about each other, things about their relationship that they hadn't encountered before and at times it was so difficult it was exhausting. But the best things were the ones that had to be worked for, and Chad would be damned if he faltered for more than thirty-seconds.

Life with Ryan was everything he had wanted. Comfortable, happy and full of promise. But there were times, like now, when they were walking too close and the cameras weren't far off that made him worry. How much longer could they keep up this charade?

A nudge from Ryan pulled him out of his thoughts. "Hey, see them over there?" he gestured to the Disney couple. "They were dating for almost two years before anyone found out. There was plenty of speculation, of course, but they had complete privacy for almost two whole years. If they can do it, we can do it, at least for a little bit longer."

Chad blinked. "Are they engaged yet?" he asked, knowing that Ryan attended the same functions as the couple.

"No," Ryan laughed. "They should be, they're so domesticated already, but they know they're still young. Why?"

"So I can send them a fruit basket when they are," he said, slightly irritated at Ryan's obvious lack of knowledge when it came to Chad's gratitude towards the couple. "Make sure to tell me when they do. Make a note of it in your Blackberry or something. I mean it."

---

The large mahogany door swung open to reveal a petite black haired woman. She scrunched up her nose and placed a hand on her hip.

"Chad," she began, exasperated. "You're late. By two hours and twenty-six minutes."

Chad rolled his eyes and smiled goofily. "Gabs, never fear! I got the cake here, didn't I?" he pointed to the box in Ryan's hands.

"I sent Ryan to get it," she said outright. "The fact that you managed to get there at the same time doesn't change a thing."

Chad folded his arms. "Yes it does."

"No, it doesn't."

"Yes, it does."

"Chad, could you please stop upsetting my wife? I can't handle another one of her freak outs today," a familiar voice cut in.

Chad broke away from the glare he was currently shooting at Gabriella Bolton and fixed his gaze on her husband, Troy, who took that moment to enter the room. He stood beside his wife and wrapped an arm around her waist. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I wouldn't be having meltdowns, Troy, if I had a little more help around here," she snapped, though jokingly.

"I still don't see why you're making such a fuss about her first birthday," Chad eyed the couple. "She won't even remember it."

"But we will!" Gabriella said desperately. "A whole year has passed! I want to mark this occasion! She only turns one once!"

"Besides," Troy said, "It's not just a birthday party. It's our very, very belated housewarming."

Troy and Gabriella decided to make the move from their cozy apartment to a much larger house in the suburbs, a little while away from the hustle and bustle that they had grown accustomed to, but both agreed that it would be better for Alice's sake to grow up in a quite environment.

The day they moved out of the apartment was a weird one and when Chad came to help them pack up, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic, remembering the days when he slept on their couch and commiserated about how to tell them the truth about he and Ryan's relationship. Things seemed so much more complicated then, and while they weren't exactly easy now, they were sure a lot less complex.

And as he watched Troy and Gabriella pack up photographs and memories and then unload them at their new home, the fact that you could always start over touched him and he felt reassured.

The foursome walked to the kitchen, where Taylor was already situated organizing party hats and presents. She grinned upon seeing Chad and Ryan and leapt up to peck them both on the cheek and snap party hats on their heads.

"You guys have to be in full party uniform," she said laughing. "Rules are rules."

Chad scratched his chin where the elastic band fell. "This is itchy. Make it stop."

"Oh, hush," Taylor said, swatting at him. "You're fine."

"Where's the birthday girl?" Ryan said anxiously, setting the cake box down on the granite counter. Gabriella motioned towards the living room and began pulling out plates and candles.

"She's in the living room with Sharpay and Zeke," she said, sighing. "Sharpay's singing her the entire soundtrack from 'Anastasia.'"

Ryan's eyes doubled in size. "Oh, dear god. She didn't try to do all the voices in 'A Rumor in St. Petersburg' by herself again, did she?"

Gabriella nodded solemnly. "Yep. You may want to stop her before she starts 'Paris is the Key to Your Heart'...again."

With a shocked gasp, Ryan grabbed Chad's hand and pulled him into the living room. Seated on the plush leather couches were Sharpay Evans, grinning brightly and holding little Ally in her arms as she sang. Beside her, her husband Zeke pretended to be disgusted, but the ghost of a smile on his features told a completely different story.

"You stroll two by two down what we call 'la rue!" Sharpay sang in a ridiculous French accent, one of the many reasons she stopped pursuing theatre. She could never nail the accents. "And soon all Paris will be singing to you! Ooh la la! Ooh la la!" She tossed Ally in the air slightly and the girl burst into giggles.

"Stop it, Shar!" Ryan said desperately. "You're going to make her sick! Furthermore you're exposing her to poor musicals!" Walking in quick strides, he scooped Ally up from Sharpay's arms and tucked her under his chin.

"Oh, please," Sharpay scoffed, "You used to lament for ages about what a shame it was that 'Anastasia' was never a Broadway musical. Don't give me that bull now just because you're bitter."

"I know better now!" Ryan snapped, holding Ally to his chest protectively. "Don't worry sweetheart, Uncle Ryan's got you."

Ryan had taken an immediate shine to Ally Bolton, as most of their friends did, but since Chad was appointed godfather, it made for a lot more time spent with the two of them. There were few things Ryan loved more than watching Disney musicals and singing Broadway songs to Alice.

"You're going to be a brilliant star, sweetheart," Ryan cooed, twirling the little girl in his arms. She laughed joyously, her short black girls flying. "With your mother and father's combined musical talent, you're going to be on Broadway and win Tony Award after Tony Award!"

Chad laughed and snatched Alice from Ryan's grasp. "I don't think so. She's going to be a monster on the court, just like her Uncle Chad. Isn't that right, Hoops?" he placed his face close to Ally's and brushed his nose with her's, reveling in the way she grinned a toothless smile.

"Can we for maybe one minute stop trying to decide my daughter's future?" Troy said, sounding exasperated, but smiling anyway. Taking his daughter from Chad's arms, he placed her against his hip. "She's going to be whatever she wants to be. A singer, a dancer, a genius like her mother or an athlete. As long as she's happy."

Chad's heart filled with warmth as he saw the look in Troy's eyes as he looked down at his daughter. Any worries his best friend might have harbored about fatherhood had quickly diminished once the little girl entered the world and to say that Troy was a softy was an understatement. Gabriella and Alice had him wrapped around their fingers.

As it should be.

"Come on, everyone," Troy began to make his way to the dining room. "Gabi's got the cake set up and it's time to sing happy birthday."

"Yes!" Sharpay pumped her fist in the air, her engagement and wedding bands sparkling brightly. "I call solo."

"Shar, honey, there are no solos in happy birthday," Zeke reminded her, patting his wife's arm. The couple had finally married after a long engagement six months earlier and were still stuck in that honeymoon phase, one they were almost certain they would never grow out of.

"Then I'll devise a solo," she answered sharply.

Walking into the dining room, Chad laughed out loud when he saw that it was filled with pink balloons and streamers. Set in front of Alice's highchair was a two layered cake with bright pink frosting and icing sugar roses.

"Oh, Gabriella!" Ryan said, admiring the decorations. "It's beautiful!"

Gabriella grinned as Troy set Alice in her highchair and folded his arms over his chest defensively. "How do you know I didn't have anything to do with this?"

Ryan gave him a look. "You don't know the difference between beige and bisque. Even Chad here does."

"Hey!" Chad snapped, looping his arm around Ryan's shoulders. "That's only because this little one here," he walked over and nuzzled Ally's head, "Took far too long to come into the world!"

"I can't believe it's been a whole year," Sharpay said softly, and the friends looked around the room at each other, remembering the day Alice was born and everything that accompanied it.

Ryan stepped next to Chad and slipped his hand into his and Chad squeezed back. It had been a whole year since the day he had come clean with Troy and Gabriella. A whole year of stolen moments, new affections and promises of tomorrow.

Feeling the familiar warmth pass through him at Ryan's touch, he surveyed each of his friends, something he had done so many times it felt like second nature. For the hundredth billionth time in those twelve months, his chest filled with pride and affection for each and every one of them.

He looked from Zeke and Sharpay, both of whom had been so supportive every step of the way, with Zeke pulling him into a friendly one on one match when the tabloids were running some absurd story that had the smallest speck of truth to it. Not to mention, Sharpay and Chad had started getting together every Monday night to watch new episodes of 'Gossip Girl', even starting a pool to see when Chuck and Blair would officially get together and if Vanessa would ever get killed off.

He looked at Taylor, who in all her glory would always be there for him. Who would still let him call at four o'clock in the morning because he couldn't sleep and he found it soothing if she recited the multiplication tables to him. Taylor, who after many months, accepted a new key to he and Ryan's apartment and quickly filled the walls with new pictures of she and Chad, new pictures of the three of them.

Then there was Troy and Gabriella, the people who granted so much trust to him by naming him the godfather of their only (thus far) daughter. The people who taught him to be true to himself regardless of everything else. The people who loved him despite all his faults, who let him stay on their couch even though it was the worst possible timing ever. The people who accepted him, who knew him.

"Okay, everyone, on the count of three," Gabriella said, drawing back from the candles she had lit and going to stand behind Alice's chair where Troy had situated himself. "One, two, three."

The room burst into happy birthday and Alice clapped her hands, loving all the attention. When the song finished and Troy and Gabriella leaned over Alice to blow out the candles, Chad felt Ryan's lips press to his cheek and despite himself he blushed, leaning into his touch.

After peppering their daughter's face with kisses, Troy and Gabriella drew back and bent their heads together to share their own sweet kiss, while Sharpay and Taylor began dishing out the cake and setting it on plates.

"You want to get some air?" Ryan asked suddenly, and Chad nodded, needing a moment (which happened often to him now) to let everything settle in. After notifying the others, the pair stepped onto the back porch of the Bolton house, breathing in the fresh summer air and seating themselves on the bench in between Gabriella's garden and Alice's sandbox.

"You think we can have all this one day?" Ryan asked, gesturing to the backyard and the house. Chad looked over at him and smiled.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

For there were a million things against them, a million and three, really, but when it came down to it, all that mattered was that he was with Ryan and they were ready to work past all those obstacles one at a time.

It was all that mattered, really.


End file.
